


the paper

by mariisabelle



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Male Character, Homophobia, LGBTQ Character, M/M, MCYTober (Video Blogging RPF), Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Temporarily Unrequited Love, dream x george, dreamnotfound, dreamwastaken - Freeform, karlnap, slowburn ig? its just really slow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:48:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 36,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29605491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariisabelle/pseuds/mariisabelle
Summary: Getting the paper was rare. So, of course, Dream wanted to be the one to get it. He wanted to experiment with all kinds of bonds with people, so getting a soulmate was a whole challenge for Dream. Well, he almost got the chance to explore the bond. If only his soulmate wouldn't be so careful with getting close to people.- daily updates (if it allows me to do so) -
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 124





	1. it´s there

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the first chapter so it will be short but I´ll try to make longer chapters :]

It was just another nightmare. Another dumb nightmare, but it still made Dream get up quickly from lying to sitting on his bed. You could say it was almost childish fear, but Dream was always a social person that loved to explore all different kinds of bonds with people.

When his parents told him about the paper, he made it his goal. The paper was supposed to be some sort of way to find your soulmate. Only two or more people that were soulmates could see the ink on the paper. He heard about the paper and couldn’t rest since then.

It was either a dream about receiving the paper, with a painful awakening, or a nightmare about his soulmate either hating him or not receiving the paper at all. Take a wild guess which one it was today.

Dream wanted to call his best friend Sapnap, but he knew he usually woke up around 2 am. Sure, Sapnap could be up playing Minecraft, but did Dream want to risk angering that man? Hell no.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He could call himself an overthinker if his concern about the situation went into his dreams. But that couldn’t stop making him wonder. That was until he looked at his side-table that he kept his phone on. It was there. The paper.


	2. first conversation much?

_´Congratulations! You are one of the lucky ones that got the paper. I will assume you understand what is going on so I will not explain the details. However! There are some limitations of what you can tell your soulmate(s) and those include your address, your full name, any full name of a family member. The rest is either allowed or acceptable in some ways. Once you and your soulmate(s) confirmed you have read this feel free to write!  
  
PS: soulmates don’t have to be boy and girl, they can be whatever your sexuality includes. After all, you are soulmates.´  
  
_ He was overwhelmed. So overwhelmed. He didn´t know if he should confirm it right ahead or wait. He almost fell from the bed while he read the paper so he decided to stand up.   
  
He doubted he would fall asleep again. Without much thinking, he took his phone and called Sapnap.   
  
“Huh? Dude, do you even look at the time, or is it just as irrelevant as my sleep schedule?” the younger man talked as if he just woke up. And that was right, he did. But it was irrelevant.   
  
“Sapnap, Sapnap. Please wake up,” Dream said quickly, not wanting to waste any time.   
  
“Dream, it´s 3 am and you just called me. You´re lucky I even picked up,” Sapnap did sound annoyed, but Dream couldn’t care any less at the moment.   
  
“I got the paper.”   
  
Silence followed through the call. Then there was just an exhausted sign from Sapnap.  
  
“Dream, you did not. It was probably just a dream and now you´re hallucinating. For the love of God, you´re obsessed with it-“   
  
“I´m turning on my camera, Sap,” Dream interrupted him and turned on his back camera, pointing it on the paper.   
  
“Okay, first of all, the audacity you have for interrupting me, and second of all, holy fuck,” Sapnap expressed himself, and Dream turned his camera off.   
  
“You actually got the paper.”   
  
“I mean I do deserve it for all the stressing,” he spoke and laid on the bed again.   
  
“No one forced you to the stressing, that´s all you. Confirm you read it and tell me about it in school, not right now. You fucking woke me up because of some boy,” he almost heard the way Sapnap rolled his eyes.   
  
“You don´t know if it´s a boy,” Dream turned down Sapnap´s last sentence.   
  
“Well, you said you prefer boys a lot more than girls, so I guess the universe wouldn´t drag you into a bond with a girl,” Sapnap chuckled.   
  
“Whatever, dude. If it´s a boy you own me 15 dollars, my guy. Night.”  
  
Dream heard the call beeping, explaining that Sapnap hung up on Dream. He took a pen and confirmed he read it all.   
  
His soulmate was most likely sleeping. If not he would assume that they had different time zones. Maybe they´re just both unstable with unhealthy sleeping schedules.   
  
´Should I write first? What should I write?´ he thought to himself. ´Keep it simple.´   
  
_´Hi!´_  
  
He didn´t expect an answer right away, of course. But he did notice his hands were shaking. What if he wasn’t up to his soulmate's expectations? He knew he was attractive, but will he be enough for his soulmate?   
  
_‘Hi?’_   
  
An answer. They answered. Dream couldn’t help but try to analyze the handwriting.   
  
It was small, elegant, and in cursive. He didn’t know how to read cursive much, but he could manage.   
  
_‘So… you’re my soulmate if I’m correct?’_ Again, the elegant handwriting. The cursive was a bit hard to read for a person with the handwriting of a badly made computer font with size 42 like Dream.   
  
_‘Yeah, it seems so. Can I just ask what the time is for you?’_   
  
_‘It will be 3:47 am when I stop writing this. What about your time?’_   
  
_‘Same. So we have the same time zones?’_  
  
 _‘I suppose so. That means you should sleep soon though.’_   
  
_‘Why aren’t you sleeping then?’_   
  
_‘Parents woke me up. We should both go to sleep. I mean if you don’t have school tomorrow, I do.’_   
  
_‘Same, dw. I’m not some old dude’_ ‘dw? Dream, this isn’t discord. Act formally as your soulmate’, he thought.   
  
_‘You never know. What should I call you?’_   
  
No full names, Dream reminded himself in his head. He obviously knew that his full name was Clay Block, but saying his name is Clay would make it too simple to find him.   
  
_‘You can call me Dream.’_ He simply responded.   
  
_‘Alright. Well, I’m going to sleep, and I hope you will, too. Goodnight, Dream :]’_ his soulmate wrote a smiley face on a piece of paper. Almost treating it as text messages. It slightly was, just on paper, and you had to waste ink.   
  
_‘goodnight, soulmate.’_  
  
He flopped onto the bed and let out a sigh of relief. He did have a soulmate. He could just grab a pen and get letters of ink in return. It was like his dreams became true.


	3. stay away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> George in school, what will he do

“Sapnap! Stop for a while,” Dream rolled his eyes as he ran through the school halls, trying to catch Sapnap´s attention.   
  
“Sorry, dude! Karl needs his energy drink!” he yelled at Dream, not turning around. Dream sighed and picked up the speed, soon enough he put a hand on Sapnap´s shoulder.   
  
“Finally, you made some actual effort,” Sapnap smirked, and Dream just sighed.   
  
“Whatever, just let me tell you about them-“   
  
“How much important information could you even have? You have that paper for what? Five hours?” the raven-haired boy liked to disagree and challenge Dream on anything that gave him the chance.   
  
“I´m going to act like you didn’t say anything. So, they have the same time zone-“ it was like the third time Dream was interrupted, but this time it was by Karl.   
  
“Sapnap! Hi!” Karl said happily and hugged Sapnap.   
  
Dream liked to watch how Sapnap softened around the boy and would tease him about it later. Which was exactly what was happening. Sapnap softly smiled but still kept his cool with his body and put one arm around Karl because of the energy drink in the other. They both wanted to stay like that, but two other boys were standing next to them. One smiling and one awkwardly looking at Karl, almost begging him to let go of the unknown man.   
  
Sapnap was the first to let go, he knew that Karl wouldn’t give up on being close to him.   
  
“I have your energy drink,” Sapnap exclaimed and gave the can to Karl, getting a smile in return.   
  
“Thanks! Do you mind if I give some of it to George? He didn’t sleep well tonight,” Karl asked and Sapnap just rolled his eyes.   
  
“It´s yours. Do whatever you want with it.”   
  
“Okay, is it appropriate to jump in now? Because I need some attention, too,” Dream cut the conversation between them. Sapnap just looked at Dream like he wanted to end his bloodline.   
  
“Sorry. Well anyway, this is George,” Karl said and pointed at the short boy next to him. He looked very uncomfortable.   
  
“Hey, new?” Sapnap said immediately as Karl stopped talking. The shorter boy nodded.   
  
Dream took a while to notice all the boy's features. Brown hair, fair skin, and not very build body. What took his attention the most were his different colored eyes. One was blue and the second was brown. It suited the boy.   
  
“Well, you can call me Sapnap. I´m Karl´s favorite boy in the world,” he smirked, watching Karl blush slightly.   
  
“Quackity is my favorite, too. Nimrod,” he rolled his eyes and Sapnap laughed.   
  
George seemed to watch the conversation with quite an interest. Then he looked at Dream to realize that Dream was looking at him the whole time.   
  
“I´m,” he stopped for a while. Something almost blocked him from saying ´Dream´. “Clay. Nice to meet you, George.” George just nodded.   
  
“George, we need to get you to the principal. Let´s go!” Karl jumped a bit. He was a bit jumpy person.   
  
“I mean, if you wish to stay with Sapnap and Clay, I can manage,” George smiled slightly at Karl.   
  
“Alright. But if anything happens, you have my number,” Karl waved at George and grabbed Sapnap by his arm, signaling they can go.   
  
George turned around and started walking the other way. Dream looked behind him to watch the boy leaving. He was cute, he had to admit it. ´Stop, Dream. Not everyone is a bisexual,´ he reminded himself.   
  
“Dude, why did you say Clay? I thought you don´t like it cuz of Fundy?” Sapnap asked, slightly concerned. Sapnap remembered very clearly how Dream got uncomfortable whenever someone called him Clay.   
  
“I don´t even know. Just felt right at the moment. Just… Don’t call me Dream in front of George,” Dream said, earning a confused look from both of the boys.   
  
“Okay, I have no clue what you said, but I´ll respect it,” Karl said and opened his white monster.  
  
\---   
  
George went through the halls, sighing when he couldn’t find the door with the number 18. How is he so blind that he couldn’t even see a number?   
  
“Hey, you need any help?” he heard a voice approaching him. It was a boy with a hat and orange hair. His shirt got a little pin with a fox.   
  
“Hi, help would be appreciated,” George smiled and the boy nodded.   
  
“I´m Fundy, nice to meet you. So what are we looking for?”   
  
“I need to find an office with the number 18 on it. It´s the office of Mr. Philza Craft? I think?” George said slightly unsure. Even if he studied the paper in his hands very carefully, he still didn’t want to seem way too confident with his sayings. It would be embarrassing if he´d be wrong.   
  
“Oh, that´s right when you take the left path of the hall. Did you look there?” Fundy asked and tilted his head to tell him they can go, so they did.   
  
Yes, George did look there. “No, I didn’t.”   
  
Soon they were in front of the door.   
  
“Well, it was good to see you…?”   
  
“I´m George,” he smiled slightly. He knocked on the door when Fundy smiled and left.   
  
The door opened, and there stood a middle-aged man with blonde hair and sage green-like clothes. But George wouldn’t know. For him, it was just overly yellow man.   
  
“Good morning. George Davidson, right?” he approached his hand to the young boy, which accepted and shook the principal's hand.   
  
“Yes, that´s me. On the paper it says I had to visit you first, sir,” George smiled politely.   
  
“Yes, the paper. You can give it to me, you won't need it anymore,” Mr. Craft opened his hand so that George could put the paper in there. He did.   
  
“Let´s sit down.” Both Philza and George sat at the table. George in the visitor's chair in front of the big table, Philza being on the other side.   
  
“So, is there any reason why you switched schools so suddenly? This information won’t be shared so you can tell me,” Philza smiled, which kind of comforted George. Philza had a fatherly atmosphere.   
  
“It was, uh, homophobia? I started getting closer to one boy, so my parents made me switch schools so I wouldn´t be able to talk to him,” he said and silently hoped that the man in front of him wasn’t homophobic.   
  
“I´m sorry for that. Perhaps you´ll be able to secretly talk to him. We make sure no one in this school is homophobic, so you are safe. Don’t worry about it. There are some openly LGBTQ+ members, so you are one hundred percent safe,” Philza said calmly. George felt safe and comforted close to the man. He wouldn’t be surprised if some people made the principal their father figure.   
  
“Thank you a lot, Mr. Craft,” George smiled and nodded.   
  
“Good. Now, do you know anyone who can make sure you won't get lost?” George wondered in his mind for a second. He met four boys. Sapnap seemed to dislike anyone who interrupted his time with Karl, and he didn’t want to anger the boy. Clay seemed like he didn’t want George in this school, based on how he looked at him so intensively, so the only choice left was Fundy.   
  
“Yes, I think I can ask Fundy,” he nodded, and Philza stood up.   
  
“Well, nothing more to discuss then. If anything makes you uncomfortable or you need a place to go, I´m always here,” he opened the door for George, and he smiled as a thank you.   
  
“Thank you a lot, Mr. Craft. I´ll get going. Goodbye,” he walked out of the door and now was searching for Fundy. C´mon. A boy with orange hair. Couldn’t be that un-noticeable. He started to pick up speed and was more and more nervous by the minute. But then he saw the boy with a hat and immediately walked up to him.   
  
“Hey! Fundy?” he said once Fundy was able to hear him. Fundy looked at him and smiled.   
  
“What´s up? Got lost again?” he grinned and raised his eyebrows.   
  
“Not really. I just need a bit of a guide through the school. Let´s be real, the map is not updated enough,” George chuckled awkwardly. He was asking Fundy like he was working a half-job as a guide through New York. Like those buses that are there only to watch the city.   
  
“Sure thing. Where do we want to start?” Fundy asked.   
  
“I mean, I guess class 5 and the dining room would be the most useful to know. Then on the secondary, I guess classes 3 and 9,” George explained.   
  
“All good. Let´s go then,” the boy smiled and started walking, which George could quickly catch up.   
  
“So, how was your day so far? Met anyone?”   
  
“Actually yes, I met Karl, Sapnap, and Cl-“ he stopped talking when he saw those three people few meters away, laughing about something. George looked at all of them, but his gaze somehow stopped at Clay for more than it should. Fundy noticed that.   
  
“Whatever you´re thinking about, it´s no. It will be better if we stay away from that American blondie,” Fundy said quite rashly and grabbed George´s arm, dragging him out of the hall into the dining room. “So, this is the dining room-“   
  
“What the hell was that?! You can´t just drag me around like that,” George got out of Fundy´s touch and stepped back, rubbing the red place on his arm.   
  
“I´m sorry.”   
  
“Explain it then. Clay is just a student, he doesn’t seem like a bully or something, so why so harsh?” he was genuinely confused.   
  
“Let´s just say that he isn´t a good person. I saw how you looked at him. He would break your heart without a doubt,” Fundy said quickly but loudly.   
  
George stepped backed from the screaming. The other boy noticed the way George was now hesitant to be around him. “Did he hurt you or…? Sorry if it´s personal,” the brunet spoke carefully, concerned for his safety. After all, it was a boy he met not even two hours ago, and he was already screaming at him.   
  
“Not physically, but he did hurt me. And it still hurts. So please, if you can, don´t go near him. Don’t get involved with him. Do it for me,” Fundy reached out his hand slightly to George, almost trying to make it seem like a good idea to accept. “Okay… I´ll stay away from him if it makes you happy,” George hesitated but seeing Fundy´s eyes light up made him believe it was a good decision. He was always a very careful person, trying to keep his feelings and himself safe. So hearing Fundy talk bad about a person made him convinced to stay away from Clay.   
  
“Thank you. We did well. You did a good decision, man. Now, which class should we continue with?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for making Fundy seem bad, but he genuinely believes that he´s just protecting George-


	4. i told him

Dream opened the door to his house. He tried to reach out to that new cute boy after school, but Dream was met with a look of hesitance, and then just George running off to the other side of the street.  
  
He was confused about that. Did he remember him? He had to. He couldn’t forget Dream in one day.

He set his bag on the floor and kicked off his shoes. His mother hated shoes in the house.

Patches brushed against his leg to show him his hello, but when he reached out his hand, the cat walked away. Rude.

“Clay! How was school?” his mom smiled at him in the kitchen. He was planning to go to his room, but he guessed not.  
  
He was about to answer, but then he remembered. The paper. He didn’t tell his mom about it. “School´s not important. Mom, mom- I got the paper,” he said quickly.

“What paper? Do I need to sign anything for school?” his mom asked. Of course, she didn’t expect him to get  _ the _ paper. It was rare.

“The soulmate thing, mom. I can write to him- them- I don’t know,” he sighed, but his mom just laughed.

“Clay, did you think you wouldn’t get the paper after obsessing over it for so many years?” Dream silently nodded. His mom just rolled her eyes with an amused expression. “Well, what are you waiting for? Go talk to them.”

Dream nodded and quickly disappeared into his room. As soon as he sat on the bed, his leg started bouncing on its own. He was nervous, maybe excited? He wanted to know as much as he could. He grabbed a pen and watched ink being placed on the paper.

_ ´Hi! Can you talk now? School should be over by now?´ _

No response came for another 15 minutes. Dream, being the overthinker, grew worried. Does his soulmate even want to talk to him?

_ ´Hello, I´m sorry. My parents stopped me for a while. I apologize again.´ _

Dream was immediately relieved. His soulmate was okay. That´s what mattered.

_ ´It´s okay. Well, how was school?´ _ Dream tried to stop himself, but the ink was already on the paper.  
_  
´You sound like a grandpa with that question. But it was rather okay. I met some people. Some good, some a bit worse. But all okay. What about you and school?´  
  
_ They were discussing such a boring topic. But then Dream came to a realization. What could help him find his soulmate better than knowing about people in his life? Suddenly, Dream was very interested in his soulmate´s school life.  
  
_ ´Good. We have a new cute boy in school. You said you met some worse people? Who are they?´  
  
_ For a while, there were no letters, only nothing. Then they started writing.  
  
_ ´I´m going to assume we don´t live near each other. I think Fundy was the worse one, but then again, he helped me a lot, so it cancels out. He´s my friend.´  
  
_ Does Fundy have friends? Dream didn’t think he has ever seen Fundy with someone. That might make it simpler for Dream. Then it hit him. Fundy. Fundy was in his city, in his school. His soulmate was closer than he thought.  
  
_ ´If he makes you uncomfortable or anything, you shouldn’t talk to him.´  
  
_ _ ´But he helped me.´  
  
_ _ ´Talk to the good people?´  
  
_ _ ´I would, but Fundy told me to stay away from them. I don´t want to hurt Fundy´s feelings by not listening to him.´ _

_ ´Well, I can´t exactly stop you. But stay safe, okay?´ _

_ ´I´ll try, I guess. By the way, do you mind telling me your pronouns? Just so I know.´ _

Pretty clearly, Dream´s pronouns were he/him. But would his soulmate even like boys? He decided to risk it. It was either all or nothing.

_ ´He/him. So yea, I´m a boy.´ _

The fact that they didn’t respond for a while worried him. What if his soulmate was some homophobic boy?

_ ´Oh, that´s cool. I have to go now, homework and stuff. Take care.´ _

He noticed his hand slightly shaking. No, no. Do not overthink this. Just don´t. Even though he tried to calm down, he still couldn’t help to think and think. ´What if it´s a straight boy? Or a lesbian? Maybe just someone who strongly hates anyone with he/him pronouns? No, that’s just stupid,‘ he thought. 

Maybe try calling Sapnap? Yes, that is exactly what he had to do. Always throw his problems on Sapnap, and in return, he got annoyed sigh and telling Dream to shut up. It helped, though.

He took his phone and called his friend. He surprisingly answered pretty fast.

“Okay, dude. I know this type of call. What the fuck happened?” Sapnap said with an exhausted tone of voice. In the background, you could hear Karl muttering silent: ´who is that?´.

“I told my soulmate I´m a boy.”

“And? We all know you are. Any news?”

“He said he had to leave right after. I mean they, not he-“ he corrected himself. Somehow it always stuck right on his tongue, almost as if ´they´ weren´t his pronouns and the universe knew that.

“Dude, you have to calm down. If you two are soulmates and you are a boy, then they are attracted to boys. That´s just how it works. Put some trust into the universe,” hearing Sapnap talk about as if he knew all about it made him somewhat calm. He sounded so sure.

“Okay… Oh, another important thing. They go to our school-“

“What the fuck? Our school? Dude, that´s close as fuck,” Sapnap said quickly right after he interrupted Dream.

“You think I don´t know that?” he sounded annoyed, but in reality, he was just stressed. He had a phone next to his ear, a paper on his lap, and a stressed mind.

“We can talk in school. I´m kind of busy right now. You woke Karl up, idiot. Bye,” he hung up, and Dream was left alone again. It was not for long, seeing Patches lay down next to his legs and cleaning herself, preparing to go to sleep.

He started thinking again. It will be all okay with his soulmate, right? All he had to do was to find out who is Fundy´s current friend. Then the more important step, actually to get his soulmate to like him.

  
  



	5. is it him?

Karl was searching through the school halls for George. He couldn't find him anywhere, but he didn't search the restrooms. He went that way and found the boy looking in the mirror, more especially studying his eyes.

"George? What are you doing?" Karl asked and stepped closer to George. What surprised him was George immediately stepping back, looking at the floor, and trying to leave the restroom. Karl would almost let him, only if he didn't grab the boy's sleeves to stop him.

"I'm sorry, Karl. I have to go," he said in a whisper. Karl was now really confused.

"Just talk to me. Why are you whispering?" he said, and George was quick to put his pointing finger on his mouth. He looked like he didn't want anyone to see him at the moment. He accepted that he could only talk to the boy in a whisper.

"Why were you looking at yourself like that?" he asked now in a whisper. The boy pulled back and kept his arms close to his chest. 

"Fundy said I should buy contacts, so I was thinking if blue or brown would be better," he shrugged his shoulders, and Karl shook his head.

"No. You don't need contacts. C'mon. Just sit with us on lunch, and you'll feel better, okay?" he proposed the idea. It was his original plan – to ask the boy to sit with them.

"Will Clay be there?"

"Yes?"

"Then sorry, but I can't. I have to go before Fundy suspects anything. Goodbye, Karl. Say hello to Sapnap for me," he whispered and left the restroom. Karl couldn't find him again in the halls full of people. It was the time of lunch. Therefore most people were outside of the classes.

He entered the dining hall and sat in front of Sapnap with Dream next to him.

"So, how did it went?" Sapnap asked and drank from his glass.

"It was weird. He said he needed to buy contacts and then refused to sit by us just because Dream would be there. But he did want to say hello to Sapnap," he explained what happened, and Dream finally looked up from his phone when he heard his name.

"He refused because of me? Rude," he said sarcastically. He didn't think much of it. Even if it was weird, the boy certainly had his reasons. "Also, contacts? You mean those that hide the color of your eyes?"

"Yeah, exactly," Karl confirmed Dream's previous statement.

"His eye color is nice. Why would he hide that?" Sapnap jumped in the conversation, and Dream couldn't agree more.

"Apparently, Fundy told him to," Karl shrugged his shoulders again. Something didn't click to Dream. Fundy?

"I have to go. Talk to you later on discord?" he asked while he stood up. The two boys nodded, and that gave Dream permission to leave the dining room. Fundy didn't talk to people much, so if his soulmate didn't lie, he would probably know their name soon.

"I promise I tried to leave. I didn't sit with them-" he heard George's voice from the end of the hall. George was against a wall, and Fundy was standing in front of him with a stern look.

"If I say don't talk to them, then you shouldn't talk to them. You're just begging to get hurt!" Fundy raised his voice.

"Fundy, your personal experience with them is not my problem-"

"Are you trying to hurt me? I'm trying to help you, George," Fundy played a sympathetic look, and George now looked guilty.

Dream knew he shouldn't just watch, so he walked closer to them. "Fundy? Maybe you should step back a bit. He doesn't look comfortable," Dream said and watched Fundy almost kill him with his glare.

Fundy looked at the intruder and put on a look of disgust. "You dare to talk to me now? Too late. Get out of our business," Fundy hissed at Dream and grabbed George by his arm. George just looked down, slowly getting used to it.

"By principal's rules, this is not allowed. So you either let go of him, or I'll just report it. No big deal," the blond was getting tired of Fundy's mean behaviour to George. To be fair, he didn't see how Fundy acted alone with George.

Fundy sent a harsh look to George before letting him go and left the hall. Dream tried to reach his hand to George, but the brunet just stepped back and looked confusingly at Dream.

"You hurt Fundy," he stated but seemed hesitant. He was trying to see how Dream would react.

"I didn't," he said right after George's statement.

"Leave Fundy and me alone. It is not your business," he sounded like a parrot that imitated his owner's words.

"George, you don't need to be friends with him if he makes you uncomfortable," he shook his head. Two colored eyes stared at him with a question in them, but soon it disappeared.

"You know nothing about us. Go back to your friends and leave me alone," and with that, he left.

Dream stood there, alone in a hall with only his thoughts. First, he acts like he doesn't recognize him, and now he's behaving like Dream murdered his entire family. If George is his soulmate, it would be hard to get George to even talk to him.

He left the school with a head full of thoughts, not noticing Sapnap in his vision corner.

"Dude! You okay? God, you look lost," Sapnap laughed at Dream's entirely out-of-earth expression.

"I think I owe you 15 dollars."


	6. confirmation?

“So, what you´re saying is that you think George is your soulmate?” Karl´s voice rang through Dream´s headphones.

“Exactly. I mean, who else talks to Fundy?”

“True. But still, you can´t know for sure. You don’t know how many people outside of our school Fundy talks to,” Sapnap made his realization hesitant now. He was right. Dream couldn’t know who Fundy talked to, and coming up to him and asking him would be rude – considering their past.

“Agreed. And even if George is your soulmate, he doesn´t seem very willing to talk to you. I´m just honest,” Karl said again.

Dream sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Maybe if we stop him from talking to Fundy?”

“Wouldn´t work. George believes Fundy is the victim and that you are a terrible person. Wow, Dream. Great impression on your soulmate-to-be,” Sapnap laughed at Dream´s misery.

“Oh, come on. Not my fault Fundy got to him first,” the blond complained, and the two other boys that were in the call just chuckled.

“Well, he wants to talk to Sapnap and me. It´s just you who he can´t stand because of what Fundy told him,” it seemed like Karl was the only one looking at the situation from the bigger perspective. Sapnap was only taking the chance to make fun of Dream, and Dream was way too into his misery to think straight. Not to mention, he wasn’t even straight.

“What if you two try to talk to him?”

“Fundy would send us to the pits of hell. You need to think, Dream. George doesn´t mind us two, but Fundy hates all of us equally. Well, maybe he hates Dream more,” Sapnap ended his sentence teasingly.

“Thanks, Sapnap. You´re helping a lot,” Dream rolled his eyes.

“In his defense, it´s true. Fundy is in control of George. If it stays the same, you can feel free to say goodbye to George,” if Dream was not out of his mind, he would thank Karl for being the only serious one about the situation.

Dream groaned and leaned back into his chair. The light from his computer was the only light in the room. “What the hell should I do?”

“Apologizing to Fundy won’t work, that´s for sure,” Karl took the turn to talk again.

“We can try talking to him tomorrow in person. You can talk to him through the paper or whatever. If it´s even him,” Sapnap´s laugh filled the call, and Dream nodded.

“Fine, talk to you tomorrow then,” Dream said as he left the call. He took a glance at the paper. Right when he looked at it, the ink started to appear. He wanted to see what would happen if he didn´t answer right away.

His soulmate first said hello, then after few seconds of not getting an answer, they started to draw a flower. Dream softly smiled at that and placed the paper closer to him on the desk. 

After the flower few more images followed — the moon, a star, even something that looked like a pride flag. The drawing stopped and crossed the flag like something that they were not allowed to look at. He decided to jump into his soulmate´s drawing session.

_ ´Hey?´  _

_ ´Hi, I´m sorry for the drawing. I didn´t know you were there.´  _ His soulmate answered quickly, almost as if startled.

_ ´It´s okay. I like your drawings. So, anything new?´  _

_ ´Nothing much. But it seems like I disappointed Fundy.´  _

With that sentence, Dream became more sure that this was George.

_ ´How so? Did you do anything wrong?´  _

_ ´Yes, I did. I upset him and then even dared to respond to Clay. I´ll be lucky if he isn´t mad tomorrow.´  _

Seeing his name on the paper was unusual. Then it hit him. George would trust his soulmate, wouldn´t he? If Dream could convince George that Clay is a nice person, he could freely talk to him without George hating him.

_ ´Why would talking to Clay be wrong?´  _

_ ´Clay hurt Fundy, so Fundy doesn’t want me to talk to him. He wants me to stay safe from him.´  _

_ ´How did he hurt Fundy?´  _

_ ´He doesn´t want to talk about it. Something emotional and personal.´  _

Wow, very helpful. Dream sighed and placed the pen next to the paper.

What the hell did he do that Fundy wanted to do this? He didn´t hurt him purposely.

_ ´Perhaps try giving Clay a chance? Maybe he changed?´  _

__ ´No.´   
  
Okay, that was a quick answer. George was kind of closed-minded, but Dream was determined. He always was. People´s opinions are flexible. Even if it was a one percent chance, then he will take it.

_ ´Well, okay. But why don´t you try just opening up to the options a bit?´  _

_ ´If Fundy approves, then I will.´  _

_ ´So you´re just letting Fundy control you like that?´  _

_ ´Better than letting myself get hurt. It´s late, Dream. Goodbye.´  _

Dream turned off his computer and laid on his bed. He wanted to scream into his pillow, do whatever it took to relieve all the pressure. At least he got some information from today. 

The only way to get to George was through Karl and Sapnap because he knew Fundy would stab Dream in the first chance he got. He didn’t know getting close to his soulmate would be that difficult.


	7. Sapnap on the go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this chapter includes homophobia. I´ll put a warning before and a summary at the end.
> 
> By the way, I am sorry for any mistakes. English is not my first language, so I´m trying :D

George nervously walked outside his class. He couldn't focus on the lesson or the path he was going. Fundy gave him the silent treatment, and it disturbed George every time he tried to talk to him.

Due to him not focusing, he bumped into Sapnap, which was perfect for Sapnap's plan. The raven-haired boy smiled with excitement.

"George! It's good to see you. Where are you heading to?" he asked and very lightly put his hand on George's forearm. Not enough to be extra noticeable, but enough to keep George in place if he wanted to leave again.

"To my next class? It's not lunchtime yet," the brunet looked Sapnap up and down as if he was suspicious of him. He was.

"Can I walk with you? We have the same class now anyway, don't we?" he watched George look around and sighing in relief after noticing that it was safe.

"Fine," when Sapnap got his approval, he lowered his hand and put it in his pocket. George walked quite fast. Perhaps to leave Sapnap behind, maybe to get to his next class sooner.

"Why didn't you sit with us yesterday?" he asked carefully. Not that he was a careful person. He would jump into irrational decisions only because it was fun to see the tired expressions of others. But this wasn't his business. It was his best friend's soulmate.

"No reason," George shrugged his shoulders without looking up from the floor. Sapnap rolled his eyes. He did not like people lying to him, especially when he knew the truth.

"Well, if it was no reason yesterday, then you can sit with us today," he was playing along to George's game of secrets.

George sighed. He was tired of the stress that he got in. "Why should I? I need to get home as soon as I can."

They got to the class, but Sapnap didn't want to drop the conversation yet. Not until he convinced George to trust him more. "We could talk. I don't see you with people often," he said while he sat next to George. He noticed the boy growing more bothered.

"I talk to Fundy," Geoge responded quickly and a bit harshly.

Sapnap put his head on his palm, looking at George. "I didn't saw him the entire day being close to you. I could be a good replacement for that fox."

With a ring of the bell, he didn't hear a single word from the brunet. Sapnap tried to get him to talk, but let's be real - George refused to even look at him. He looked around the class to try and figure out what the problem was. His gaze fell on Fundy, who was in return studying George. 

"Are you nervous because of Fundy?" the raven-haired boy whispered. He knew better than to be loud when Fundy was paying attention. George ignored him and kept staring at his hands. "Close and open your hand if you are."

He didn't expect George to do it. He honestly expected to be met with another wave of ignoring. George did what Sapnap told him and looked at the clock on the wall.

"After the lesson, you can go with me. Forget about Fundy," he whispered, and George shook his head. Speak of the Devil, the bell rang, and George didn't have any reason to stay with Sapnap.

Sapnap sighed when he couldn't find the boy again. Instead, he was met with Fundy, standing in front of him. 

"Do not talk to him," Fundy spoke strictly. Sapnap raised his eyebrows and leaned back.

"You may have power over George, but that stern tone won't get you anywhere here. Listen, George can do what he wants, and you don't get to decide that for him," Fundy didn't like Sapnap's words at all.

"You and your friend Clay should leave me alone. George is my friend, and I care about him," Sapnap was almost ready to answer when he saw Karl walking to him.

"Where's Dream?" Karl shrugged his shoulders in response to Sapnap.

Karl looked at Fundy with sympathy in his eyes. After all, Fundy was only trying to keep his 'friend' close. "Fundy, I promise we won't hurt George and that we aren't trying to hurt you by taking George away. But do you not notice how he is uncomfortable with you?"

"He's just shy-"

This time it was Sapnap who spoke. "I have no idea what Dream did to you, but you should leave it in the past, dude."

Fundy tried to speak, but Sapnap didn't want to be in his presence any longer. He put an arm around Karl's shoulders and walked away.

"I kinda genuinely feel bad for him," Karl sighed and sipped from his white monster that Sapnap brought him earlier.

"We'll make it work. You are smart, I'm good with people, and Dream would never give up. No way we would lose this," he smiled reassuringly at the boy, earning another smile in return.

**\-- homophobic mentions and acts, so please skip if you feel uncomfortable with it --**

George was sitting at the dining table with his parents. He just had to wait until his parents started asking the questions they asked every single time. And there it was.

"So, George... Any girl on the go?" his father asked. George felt his hand tighten around the fork. The food didn't seem so enjoyable now.

"No," he answered quickly and easily. Just how his parents wanted.

"How so? When I walked to the store, I saw a pretty girl walking out of the school. You should talk to her," his mother still had hope that if she mentioned girls, George would magically be attracted to them.

"Mum, you know we would only ever be friends-"

"I don't want to hear that. That girl will be at our house on Saturday. You promised to fix yourself, but I don't see you working on it," she hissed. George wanted to go to his room. Otherwise, he would probably start yelling at them for their homophobia.

"I apologize," he pushed the plate away from him, looking at his father for permission to leave the table. When his father nodded, he couldn't be faster to leave.

Walking around his room while playing with his fingers was a simple habit he picked up from his mother. She did that for around an hour after George came out to her. He sat there and watched her slowly forget that he was once a son she loved. 

What didn't help was that his soulmate was a boy. If his parents knew that, they would rip the paper and burn it. That's why he had to keep it in his school bag hidden in one specific book.

He hoped every day that his parents wouldn't find out about his soulmate. He wished he could make his own decisions. Why couldn't he had a drop of freedom? Or a minute of safeness?

Perhaps Sapnap was right? Maybe he would be better if he left his comfort zone that wasn't even comforting. It was scary and uncomfortable.

He wanted to be free but had no choice other than to stay this way.

\---

 **Summary** : George's parents make him (kind of force him, to be specific) to invite a girl to dinner, and while he thinks, he considers that maybe Fundy isn't good for him and that Sapnap was right.


	8. asked a girl out, feeling good

His mother gave him a description of the girl and a simple warning not to mess up in the morning. Her appearance was short, with pink hair and light eyes. 

Currently, he was in school, looking for the girl to explain that he might need her to play an actress for a while. He finally saw her. She was walking with school books in her hands, heading to the library. He took a sharp breath and walked up to her.

"Excuse me?" he started speaking to catch her attention, which worked. She made eye contact, but that just made George look down on the floor. "Do you need any help? Those books look heavy, and I'm going to the library as well." Please, now don't mess up. Just talk to her.

"If you'd be so kind," she smiled as a thank you. George took more than half the books from her, and they both started walking. "So, what is your name? I haven't seen you in the library before."

"I'm George. And you haven't seen me because I have never been to the library," he admitted, only hoping it wouldn't offend the girl. She just laughed at George's awkward atmosphere.

"My name is Niki. I think I heard about you from Wilbur," that surprised George. He never heard the name Wilbur before, so why did he knew about George?

"Who is Wilbur?" he asked right after Niki's voice stopped.

"Oh, you see - you are a friend of Karl, and Quackity talks to Karl, who talks to Tommy, and Tommy spoke to Wilbur, who talks to me," Niki explained. It made George uncomfortable that his name went through so many peoples mouth. More especially when he never saw more than half of them.

"Oh... Okay, I guess," he nodded, and Niki stopped before a door, which she knocked on. The librarian opened the door. George had to take a glance around the library. It had few shelves with books in them, but what took his attention the most were the flags hanged on the wall. A hint - they weren't flags of countries.

"What is it with the flags?" he asked. He only realized that it might have sound homophobic when Niki looked at him with a nervous expression. "I'm not homophobic, I promise! I'm just confused."

Niki smiled at the boy's awkwardness. "It's just that we made it a bit more comfortable for us," she responded, and George nodded. However, his mind caught on to something.

"We and us?"

She nodded, waiting for George to get what she meant by it. When she heard a surprised 'oh', she laughed. The books that were in her hands were now on the shelves. George copied what she did, just a bit higher.

"Um, can I ask you something? Well, first, I might need to explain it," he started, going back to his original intention. Niki patiently waited for the boy to start. "This will sound creepy, but my mum saw you walking out of the school, and she wanted me to ask you out for dinner at our house. But you see- I don't like girls that way. However, she will probably end my existence if I mess up. So, will you go? Please, I could repay you in any way. And I promise you will be safe and get home safely after."

He could see the look of pity in her eyes, hearing how his mother made him do it. "It's okay, I understand. So, I can go just as friends for your mom to leave you be?"

George confirmed. Niki only smiled and nodded. "Okay! When?"

The boy felt extreme relief when Niki agreed. "Saturday at 5 pm? I could pick you up in front of the school tomorrow or something like that because I don't know where you live."

"Sure. I need to get to class now, though. And you should, too," Niki laughed again, making the atmosphere a bit lighter. George nodded and left the library with Niki, parting their way when they went to different halls.

He had to talk to Fundy, maybe apologize? He knew he had to fix everything with Fundy, but George could not find the boy. Where would he be? They had only one class together, and that was yesterday. With George's unfortunate situation, he met Dream. Dream was sitting on the stairs, looking at his phone.

Dream certainly had some history with Fundy. Maybe he still remembered Fundy's subjects? He took a sharp breath and slightly played with his fingers while walking towards the blond.

"Clay?" when the boy heard his name, he looked up, more than confused as to why was he talking to him.

"Yes? Do you need any help, George?" his voice was soothing and curious. George almost felt bad that he couldn't listen to it more, but his memory soon got in. 'Stop, he hurt Fundy. He would do that to you, too,' he reminded himself and nodded.

"Do you perhaps know where Fundy might be right now?" he asked, very aware that he looked uncomfortable. He always did when he was unsure of what the next move might be.

"Probably an art class? It's not on the schedule, but I remember he did talk about joining a few weeks ago. Should I walk you there?" George immediately shook his head no and stepped back.

"No. I know the way," he did not. Dream looked at him, weighing his choice of words.

"Are you sure? It's opened just today," the blond chuckled, knowing that George did not know the way. George felt himself blushing from embarrassment.

"I can just ask someone where it is," George said and started walking away, trying to find a teacher. Dream knew this might be the only chance of the week to talk to him. So he took it and soon appeared right next to George.

"Or you could ask me and save yourself some time," he proposed the idea, noticing George being annoyed.

"I'd rather not," Dream looked to his right, knowing the art class was right behind the door. Yet George kept walking.

"Just so you know, you already missed it," he said, and George groaned. Stopping in his walk, he turned to Dream.

"Couldn't you just tell me?" yeah, George was annoyed, and Dream knew this wasn't helping anything, but it was still entertaining for the blond.

"You didn't ask," Dream tried to defend himself. George closed his eyes for a moment, silently wishing he could disappear, never talk to Fundy again and go home.

"Now I understand why Fundy doesn't want me to talk to you. You are incredibly annoying," he stated, and Dream shortly wheezed.

"Oh, come on now. I can't be that annoying," Dream shook his head, and the brunet just stayed silent.

The blond saw Sapnap way behind George, and of course, Sapnap had to walk to them and put his hand on George's shoulder.

"Sapnap! Do you know where the art class is? Please?" George turned to Sapnap but put his hand away from his shoulder. The raven-haired boy looked at him in confusion.

"It's the green door across the yellow door in this hall. Why?" he answered, but that was hardly an answer for George.

"Left or right?" he tried to get a more specific answer.

"Green?" Sapnap raised his eyebrows in confusion. George just sighed.

"Sapnap, I'm colourblind. Now is it left or right?" he repeated the question, and Dream had to cover his mouth not to laugh out loud. Sapnap didn't know whether to laugh or apologize.

"Oh, shit- sorry, dude. I didn't know-"

"Left or right?"

Sapnap pointed at the green door, and George left them two alone. "What was that?" Dream asked, still laughing.

"I didn't know he was fucking colourblind! What if I messed up-" Sapnap started panicking. Dream stopped him while talking, wanting to know why did Sapnap even appear in this particular place.

"Shut up, man. Why did you even come here?"

"Because you left me on read, idiot," Sapnap rolled his eyes, and Dream almost laughed again. Sapnap only grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dining room. Karl was waiting there, sitting on a chair next to Quackity.

"Why was George so comfortable around you? He looks like he wants me pushed out of a window," Dream complained.

"Because I'm hot, and he loves me already," Sapnap rolled his eyes. "Dream. I don't fucking know why."

Sapnap sat in front of Karl, forcing Dream to sit next to him. "Who loves you?" Karl asked in confusion.

"You two love me," he smirked at Quackity and Karl, earning a nod of confirmation from them both.

Dream sighed. "Can you stop acting gay for five seconds? I'm trying to focus on my misery of the George-is-soulmate-to-anybody-but-me situation."

"Sounds like something that I won't and don't want to do anything about," Quackity got into the small conversation that was going on.

"Vouch," Sapnap nodded.

"Sap, you agreed to help me," Dream groaned and leaned in his chair.

"I don't know, dude. Make a love potion or something," he shrugged his shoulders. Dream completely stopped paying attention to the three when he saw George walking towards someone. Sapnap noticed that Dream was out of focus, so he just went to talk to his boyfriends.

George came up to Niki and was talking to her for a while. Dream noticed a small blush on George's face. "Do you think he is straight?"

Quackity turned his attention first to Dream, then to George because that's the direction Dream was staring in. "As straight as Skeppy."

"Imagine if your soulmate was straight. If George is, you can already take that L," Sapnap teased.

"I don't care if he is straight or not. I don't even know him. He's a stranger," Dream got defensive. Maybe to hide the fact he shouldn't be attached to someone so quickly.

"A cute stranger?" Karl raised his eyebrows.

"Fuck off," he answered before noticing George left the dining room. "What do you think he told Niki?"

"Stalker vibes much," Quackity took a chance to steal the words right outside of Sapnap's mouth. Dream groaned again, deciding to listen to the couple talking. He planned on asking Niki about it, but wouldn't that be too stalkerish? Most likely.


	9. rebellious phase arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: small mentions of homophobia

They were all sitting at the table. George's mother acted friendly towards Niki, his father more curious, and George silently prayed that Niki wasn't too uncomfortable.

"So, do you have any interests?" his father asked Niki. George was uncomfortable, but Niki seemed to handle everything just correctly. He thanked all of the divines above for Niki's kind personality.

"I do! I spend most of my time in the school library. It's a calming space," she smiled and drank a bit from her glass.

"Reading, it is?" his mother snickered in. Instead of focusing on the discussion, he was thinking about his soulmate. 

If his parents weren't homophobic, possibly he would take his soulmate on a dinner. Maybe he could make some effort to find him. It wouldn't be up to no use to search for his soulmate now. It would either end up with George not being ready or his parents forcing him to rip the paper.

"You see, George refuses to date girls for some reason. We don't get it. Maybe you could change that," his mother smiled at Niki.

Niki looked at George, who was way into his thoughts to listen. "That is his choice, and maybe you could let him date who he wants to date?" she knew to be careful around that area. If she messed up, she could only worsen it for George. But acting homophobic was out of her line.

His dad clicked his tongue and shook his head. "He is supposed to like nice girls like you."

"Sir, I think who he is supposed to date is someone who he loves, and that won't be a girl. No matter if you like it or not," she was losing her patience and slightly raised her voice to make it clear. George looked up, confused about what was happening.

"My son won't be gay-"

"Your son already is gay, kinda too late for that," George did a bolder move than he intended. He interrupted his father and came out to him for the second time. His father was mad. He felt proud of himself for standing up, but then again, he felt afraid of what would come once Niki was gone. "Niki, if you'd like to go home, I'll walk with you."

His mother sighed in disappointment, and Niki just nodded, standing up. "Thank you for the nice meal, but I feel sorry that George has to put up with this every day. Goodbye, Mr and Mrs Davidson," she said her goodbyes, and she and George got out of the house.

"Niki, I am sorry. That must have been so uncomfortable. Seriously, I'll repay you in any way," George spoke apologetically. Niki just smiled.

"It's okay! I only hope that you can get out of that house soon," George nodded at Niki's statement. "There are some cheap apartments close to the school. You could get one to be free of their homophobia."

George thought about that for a second. "I'd have to save money."

"That is true. But it's better than nothing."

After a while of walking, she stopped. "There it is. Thank you for the walk, it's a bit dangerous to walk alone in the dark. Are you sure you'll be okay at home?" 

George shook his head no. Niki gave him a sympathetic look. She didn't know if the boy would be comfortable with physical touch, so she didn't risk it. "Maybe call someone to stay over?"

"I'll try. Thank you again, Niki."

She disappeared into her house, and George walked few meters away before pulling out his phone. He felt exhausted, and all he had on his mind was sleep.

The phone rang for a while before it got picked up.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Karl, this is me. George," George answered. Karl noticeably didn't have George saved in his contacts, considering George never actually texted or called Karl.

"You sound like you're about to pass out. Did you drink anything?" Karl asked, more than concerned for George.

"What? No. I need to-" his talk got interrupted by a yawn, "-need to sleep. But I don't want to go home."

"George, I don't have a car. What am I supposed to do? Where even are you?" too many questions for George.

"Do you know where is the shop with the paper and stuff?" George asked, and Karl just sighed.

"I'm going to be there, do not move. If anything, message me one single letter, and I'll call the police. You have to stay safe, okay?" George just hummed in agreement and hung up on the call. His parents were going to be mad. Maybe he would care if he wasn't almost passing out on the sidewalk.

He didn't know how much time it took until there was a boy in a white hoodie with a fire symbol on it. He felt like he has seen it before? "Are you wearing Sapnap's hoodie?" he chuckled.

"This is what you care about right now? Oh my god, let's go. Do you want to go to your house or-"

"Karl, would I call you to come here only for you to walk me to my own house?"

"Fine, we're going to mine," Karl sighed and helped the boy get up. They both started walking. "Why do you not want to go home?"

"They tried to set me up with a girl. Her name is Niki, a very kind girl. So I was forced to invite her. I reminded my parents I do not like girls, and I know they're not happy with my attitude. So, I'm choosing to stay anywhere that is not their house," George may have overshared, but to his defence, he was half-asleep already.

"You're not straight?"

"Is that the only thing you took from this whole speech?"

Karl felt slightly embarrassed. Yeah, it did sound a bit off to only focus on that. "Well, uh- we're here. Take off your shoes," Karl opened the door for George.

"You bet I'm going to take my shoes off. I'm not an American," George rolled his eyes, and Karl guided him to the bedroom once he didn't have shoes on.

"Sleep here, but only for today. You'll never see this bed again after this," Karl reminded him and sat at the chair to join the discord call he left before he went to pick up George.

The brit fell onto the bed and soon fell asleep. Karl joined the call with his webcam on, as almost always did.

"Yeah, he's not answering- what the fuck-"  
"What the fuck?"  
Karl heard both the boys in the call speak in unison once they saw George in the background.

"Karl, my love. If you're sleeping with Dream's soulmate, I genuinely don't know which would be a bigger betrayal. And you're letting him sleep on my side? Is this what I get for being a good, caring boyfriend-"

"Sapnap, honk off. George needed a place to stay, and I was probably the only number in his contacts," Karl explained.

"Why did he not stay in his house? Is everything with him fine?" Dream asked, being the only one in the call processing that George didn't feel safe in his house.

"I'm not the one to share that. But George is in my hands now-"

"He shouldn't be in your hands. I should be. What about me? Am I going to get replaced by some British colourblind dude?" Sapnap said over-dramatically to let Karl know he didn't take it seriously.

"You don't sleep at Karl's for one day and get replaced. L," Dream wheezed. 

"You better shut your mouth before I-"

"Okay, okay. Well, um, I'm going to sleep. I don't know when George wakes up, and him waking up before me would be awkward. So bye," Karl said, and he heard Dream quickly mentioning to call him in the morning before the call cut off.


	10. Karl on the go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: mentions of blood and wounds (George gets hurt by the glass)

Karl was the first to wake up on the couch in the room. His worries were pointless because George was still sleeping. Karl took his phone and opened the discord app. He had to check if Dream was even online to call him. Dream was. The blond was quicker and called him before he even got to his DMs.

"How is he?" he heard the blond's voice the second he picked up.

"He's sleeping right now," Karl answered and yawned. "What do you want?"

"He's sleeping? It's like 12 in the noon right now," he heard Dream's shocked voice and sighed. He turned his head to look at the boy, who now slowly sat up. Karl just had to chuckle from George's tired expression and messy hair. 

"Well, guess he's not sleeping now."

"Who are you calling with?" George asked and took a moment to look at the room. Karl heard Dream talking on the phone, but he ignored him.

"Clay. He wondered how you're doing," Karl spoke for Dream. The voice in the call stopped. It was clear Dream got either distracted or tried to listen.

"Clay? Why would he wonder about that?" George raised his eyebrows in suspicion. Karl shrugged his shoulders and put Dream on speaker so that George would hear him.

"Wow, his tone sounds very welcoming. Totally like he doesn't think I'm a gross manipulator because of some furry that's obsessed with me," Dream said sarcastically, thinking only Karl could hear him. That's why Karl's laugh confused him for a moment.

"Fundy isn't obsessed with you. You just have a huge ego," George stood up for Fundy.

"He can hear me?"

"I put you on speaker, idiot," Karl said. "Now that you know George is okay, can I hang up?"

"Wait! What happened with George yesterday? He called you at night to stay at your house and-"

"I don't think I can answer that. Ask George when you see him," the brunet answered, watching how George stood up and left the room with half-closed eyes. The brunet was still tired, not mentioning how his back hated the material of Karl's mattress. "George just left, so feel free to talk now."

"Is George safe?"

"Are you under-appreciating my ability to keep a man safe in my own house? Of course, he is. What could even happen to him?" Karl asked and decided to follow where George went. He saw the boy crunching close to the floor, holding one hand far away from anything non-cleanable, and the other hand was cleaning shatters of glass on the floor. "Not to make you panic or anything, but he's currently bleeding."

"What?! Why is George bleeding? Karl, you're supposed to keep him alive!" the Florida man started screaming at Karl. George looked up to see Karl standing there with an exhausted expression. He immediately got up and held his bleeding hand in the other.

"I'm sorry, I'll buy you another glass. I'm sorry-"

"George, stop. Clay, I'll text you later," he cut George off, and even against Dream's protests, he hung up. George looked down on the floor as if it made the shatters disappear. "C'mon, man. Let's get you cleaned up," Karl tilted his head to the direction of where the bathroom was. George only nodded, soon sitting on the edge of a bath with Karl looking through the drawers under the sink.

Karl took George's wounded hand and checked it for any glass pieces, and thankfully, it was pretty clean. George backed off from instinct when he was about to meet the water. "George, I'm not letting you get an infection. Under the water," he ordered. With an eye-roll, George willingly put his hand under the water. Karl smiled slightly and managed to start putting a hand-tape around the wounded hand once the hand got removed from the water.

"Shouldn't your parents be calling you?" he asked. George just shrugged his shoulders.

"They probably are. My phone is dead, and it felt too awkward to ask for a charger," George explained, and Karl sighed.

"Asking for a charger is awkward, but breaking one of my glasses is okay," he joked, only to let George know it wasn't a big deal. Just as George was preparing to apologize, Karl cut him off again. "Well, it's all done. I think Clay is going to scream at me when he sees me, oh god. I better start praying," with this sarcastic remark, he moved further from the boy.

"I don't think so," the brunet protested, and he seemed as if he realized something. "Oh! There is this thing I wanted to tell you." When Karl sat patiently on the cold bathroom floor, George started talking. "So basically. First, I spoke to Fundy. I tried convincing him to let me talk with you. Like Sapnap and you, you know. He allowed me to talk with you!" he said as if it was the most generous thing a person could do.

Karl looked at George, slightly shaking his head no. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk with Geoge. That was almost literally the thing that all of them wanted to do. "George, he shouldn't decide things like that for you. You are your own person," he explained. However, George's face just dropped into confusion, and looking at Karl as if he had gone insane.

"Karl, he is keeping me safe. He decided that you won't hurt me. You are safe," he said while nodding his head to try to convince Karl he was correct. George had a light smile, most certainly happy to talk with Karl without feeling guilty.

"Okay," Karl sighed. "Tell Fundy I thank him for that." Saying it out loud felt like losing a game. But it made George smile. It made George happy. Karl knew he had to make George happy. Otherwise, he wouldn't want to spend time around him.

Karl wanted to change the topic. He did not want George to think about Fundy at all. "So, do you have any information on your soulmate yet? I mean, everyone has one."

George seemed to think for a second. "Uh, yeah. I do. I guess I got the paper, so it makes sense to know about him." Karl felt himself smile. George was in front of him, talking about Dream without even knowing.

"Him? So a boy?" Karl teased, and George nodded with a light blush. Karl soon noticed George was the type to blush when he was either embarrassed or complimented. "Tell me about him."

"There isn't much to tell. Dream doesn't talk about himself too much. He usually lets me talk about my day. I didn't talk to him recently at all," he saw how George sank into himself for a second, feeling bad about his actions.

Karl noticed how George talked about Dream with admiration in his voice. Very obviously appreciating having someone to talk to with them genuinely caring about it. "I'm sure he'll understand. You seem to admire your soulmate a lot, huh?"

George blushed at that again. He slowly and hesitantly nodded. "Dream lets me talk. But even if he's sweet, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to waste my time trying to find him, and there is a low chance we'd actually meet anyway. It's useless."

Karl quickly shook his head. "No, it's not useless. What if Dream wants to meet you?"

George just sighed and looked at Karl. "Karl, I don't even know if he is into boys. And I didn't even tell him my pronouns or anything. He could think I'm a girl." George spoke quickly and hesitantly.

"It's your soulmate. He'll be into you either way," Karl chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Knowing that Dream was already head over heels for George, it was funny to watch the boy be worried about it. "Plus, you can always ask him for his sexuality. It's not like it would be weird or anything. You two are soulmates, after all."

George only nodded. "Yeah. It's not like it will matter. Fundy will probably stop me from talking to him, or my parents will force me to rip the paper. It doesn't matter," with a shrug of shoulders, he stood up. "I should go home. Maybe my parents won't kill me if I tell them I was in a straight strip club. They'll probably like that more than staying in some boy's bed."

Karl just laughed. "It sucks having homophobic parents. By the way, I have to keep you being not straight a secret, right?"

George confirmed his question and went to the front hall, taking his shoes back on. "Well, see you at school tomorrow. Bye, Karl!" he said his goodbyes before Karl got to talk. Staring at a closet door, he quickly came to his senses. Not looking back, he ran to his room to call Dream.

\---

His phone rang next to him, disturbing him from writing on the paper. He left his uncompleted 'are you safe?' laying on the piece of dead wood and picked up the phone.

"Karl? Is George safe? Why the fuck was he bleeding?" Dream soon spilled all his questions on Karl. The boy on the other line tried stopping him but soon gave up, letting Dream talk.

"Did you shut up? Cool. Dream, he talked about you," he said. That sentence confused Dream.

"Why?"

"Not like you that he knows, but he talked about Dream - his soulmate. Oh god, you should've heard him talk about you. He was so full of admiration. But fuck his parents, man," Karl said without thinking. When he heard hold in a chuckle, he knew what was coming.

"I'd rather fuck-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence. Oh god, you need to pray, young man," he interrupted him before Dream could say something unholy.

"You sound like a religious grandpa. I thought the sweaters were enough of senior house energy, but I guess not."

"Shut up. At least I don't pull up with that shoe game of yours. Let's get back on the topic. Dream, he doesn't want to meet you."

Dream stayed silent for a while before smirking. "Kind of late for that."

"Dream, not like that. Even if he knew you're his soulmate, he would probably ignore it. He does not want to do anything relating to his soulmate," Karl explained, now impatient for Dream to get it.

"Okay, rude of him. He surely doesn't know what he's missing because-"

"I'm hanging up," he heard Karl say before the call beeped. Dream looked over to the paper that now had words on it.

_'Hello! I apologize for not writing recently. I hope you're doing okay.'_

Dream smiled at that words. If George knew he was writing to Clay, he would probably wish him a terrible night, maybe add some hex on top of it.

_'Hey, it's okay. How was your day?'_

_'Pretty good. But can I ask you something personal first? It's okay if you don't feel comfortable answering it.'_

_'Sure, you can ask me whatever you want.'_

There were no letters for a while. It seemed as if George was suddenly re-thinking his decision.

_'What's your sexuality? I am sorry if this makes you uncomfortable.'_

Dream choked on air. He didn't expect that but wasn't against answering.

_'I'm bisexual, so if you're worried about something, there is no need to :)'_

There he was again, treating the paper like it was text messages. 

_'Okay, thanks. I need to get ready for school now.'_

_'Nerd.'_

_'Shut up.'_


	11. niki has a flower shop

After a whole day of hanging out with Fundy, George grew tired of him. Even though they talked together with Niki (which allowed George to speak with Niki on his own), he wanted more. He wanted to have some freedom of speech. Fundy was watching all his moves. He was watching where he looked, his expressions, even studied the way George lowered his shoulders when upset. George felt like he was standing on a string, and a single wrong look could make him fall.

That's why he went to talk to Karl right after Fundy left home. When he entered the dining room, Karl sat next to Sapnap with his head on Sapnap's shoulder. He noticed George the first. His smile was inviting George to sit with them, so he did. 

"Hi, George! How did it go yesterday?" he asked, fixing his posture so he would sit on his own. Sapnap rolled his eyes from that action.

"It went well. My mum was almost crying from the happiness that I might be getting better, and my dad patted my back," George noticed another person going to the same table - of course, it was Dream. His eyes scanned George before smiling.

"Hey, George. How are you doing?" he asked, but the boy only looked at Karl before looking down at the table. "Okay, I guess not."

"George can only talk to me because of Fundy," Karl sighed.

"That's fucked up, dude. That sounds like prison," Sapnap got into the conversation. Dream was now sitting next to George, who quickly moved further to the left from Dream. 

"Well, uh, have you asked him already?" Karl asked George, and he looked up to Karl. 

"I did! He's bisexual," George smiled. There was still the admiration in his voice, and now Dream got to hear it. Dream couldn't lie and say he didn't like how George talked about him. He loved it.

"Who's bisexual?" Dream asked but got no answer. He sighed, and with a silent look, Dream asked Karl to repeat what he said. Karl repeated, and that's when George answered.

"My soulmate Dream is bisexual," Sapnap choked on his drink for no actual reason. He knew George was Dream's soulmate, but hearing it from George's mouth was something different.

"Dream, you say?" Sapnap got no words, but George nodded to his question. Now it made sense to Sapnap that Dream wanted everyone to call him Clay in front of the boy.

"I'm going to go. Niki is sitting alone. Bye, Karl!" George said his goodbyes, and when he left, both boys looked at Dream.

"Dude, you're blushing?" Sapnap laughed. Dream automatically touched his cheeks to check if they were actually hot.

"Shut up. You're acting like you don't blush every single time that Karl touches you," Dream got back at Sapnap and ignored him after. Instead, he watched George talking with Niki. She slipped him a piece of paper, and George nodded with a smile.

"What are they talking about?" he asked. Both boys sighed.

"Dream, we don't have super-hearing. How would we know?" Karl said. Dream watched as George got up and left the room. Niki walked up to them with a smile. They all have been friends for quite a time, so it wasn't unusual if Niki asked them for a favor.

"Hi, Niki. Do you need anything?" Dream asked, and Niki nodded.

"I opened a flower shop with the help of some people. We are going to move all the flowers and stuff, so if you maybe wanted to help?" she asked nervously.

"Is that what you asked George?" Sapnap mentioned.

"Were you guys watching me?" Sapnap realized how creepy his sentence sounded.

"Shit, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Dream is just obsessed with George, so he decided to stalk him," Saonap explained sarcastically.

"I'm not obsessed. I don't even know George that well," Dream shrugged his shoulders. Karl laughed at that.

"Yeah, tell yourself that," Karl scoffed. Niki stood there awkwardly until Dream got to talking again.

"Well, I am free today. Give me the address," Dream smiled, and Niki handed him one paper.

"If you could be there at four pm, it would help a lot."

"Niki, I'm sorry, but I want to spend time with Karl. I'm sure Dream will take care of it," he smirked, knowing well that George is going to be there. Dream nodded, going with it. Niki smiled, and with a simple goodbye, she left.

\---

Dream walked through the door. A smell of dirt and flowers filled his senses. He quickly made a mental note of the people he saw.

Wilbur was taking care of putting flowers on the higher shelves, Niki was planting seeds, and Minx was arguing with someone. His gaze then fell onto George, who was talking to a boy Dream didn't recognize. George listened carefully and looked up to the boy frequently.

"Dream!" Niki called him quite loudly. He noticed George's expression changed from relaxation to confusion when he heard the word. Dream was quick to react and moved Niki away from all the people.

"Hi, Niki. Please, do not call me Dream," he whispered. Niki grew confused with that.

"But I thought you hated the name Clay, so you asked us to call you Dream?" her eyes scanned Dream's face to check if he was okay.

"I do. I do hate it. But you see, I may have told George my name is Dream through the paper, and now I can't let him know it's me," Dream hoped for Niki to catch up quickly, and she did. Her hand flew to her mouth when she gasped.

"Are you saying George is your-"

"Soulmate. Yeah, I am. So, please, call me Clay when he is around," he slightly smiled when Niki nodded.

"Well, you can go help him in that case. He's sorting the flowers," Niki smirked knowingly, and before Dream could protest, she walked away.

Dream walked up to George and noticed the boy making eye contact. He found himself once again fascinated by the different colors. "Hi, George. Niki sent me to help you," he explained, and the boy's shoulders lowered in relaxation. George only nodded and took a medium paper from the shelf.

Dream noticed George could only use one hand. His other hand was folded in a bandage, covering almost all of his palm. With the un-harmed hand, he leaned his hand closer to Dream so he could take the paper.

"What is this?" he asked before taking in his own hand. George put his pointing finger on two words. George had to stand on his tip-toes to see what was on the paper properly now that Dream had it. 'Color sorting' was on the piece of paper.

"They sent a colorblind person for color sorting?" Dream laughed, finding it ironic. When he looked at George again, he noticed the boy was smiling but immediately stopped when he saw Dream looking. George nodded.

"Fine, based on your hand, I suppose I can do what you tell me to do," and there he was, trying to get George to talk. Even if it took small steps, he wanted George to be comfortable around him. However, the boy shrugged his shoulders and pointed at one pink flower. "Okay, no talking. Got it." On the paper were more details - pink flowers outside, orange and yellow flowers to the left room, and more.

He took the flower in his hands and encouraged George to show him where to put it. George started walking, so Dream followed him.

"You know, Fundy isn't here... You can talk to me," he tried again. George seemed to think hard for a moment but then just sighed and shook his head no. Dream almost came to peace with the fact that George won't talk to him, but then he heard his voice.

"Did you know this type of flower can bloom only in spring?" he said quietly with a hint of nervousness. Dream felt like the sun decided to shine on him, making him feel warm.

"That's interesting. Do you know more about the flower?" Dream wished the boy would talk again, but George only shook his head and stopped walking when they got to the outside part of the shop. "Okay, where do I put it?"

George pointed to the left corner because there was a small table. It was nearly perfect for the flower.

"Excuse me, would you guys like some tea?" Dream put the flower down before looking at the boy from earlier. George shook his head and sat on some table. Dream noticed George was watching him curiously.

"Is there green tea?" the boy asked and left. Dream figured it was to make the tea. The sun was behind George, making him practically glow. His usually dark brown hair had a golden outline.

"You're pretty," Dream said without thinking twice. George's eyes widened in shock and swayed his head no.

"Stop."

"Did it make you uncomfortable? I'm sorry if it did," Dream apologized, but George shook his head again. "So it didn't make you uncomfortable you just don't want me to say it?" George nodded.

Once Dream wanted to speak again, the boy from earlier came in and handed Dream his tea.

"Well, we should continue with the flowers."


	12. green tea

George was sitting with Fundy on the stairs. It was the time of the day where George was supposed to sit and listen, so he did. George watched as Fundy talked, but that was the most the boy could do. He wasn't paying attention to Fundy, and he never had to. Fundy never asked him about it, neither let him talk. When George once tried to speak more than few words, Fundy only shut him up with simple: "Your voice is annoying, I don't want to hear it more than I should." So George didn't talk to keep his friend comfortable.

"George, are you listening?" Fundy asked when he saw George looking at the people passing by in the hall. George mindlessly nodded, and that was good enough for Fundy. George's eyes tried to add characteristics to random people because that was the most entertaining thing he could do at the moment. Not that Fundy wasn't indearing. He was. But George wasn't a match for him. George knew he had other people that could steal his attention in less than a second. And that happened.

When he noticed Karl, Sapnap, and Dream walk out of a class, he didn't take his eyes off them. George noticed how Dream looked more tired than yesterday. Dream was walking next to the boys but looked lifeless. He glanced at Fundy to see he was still talking and describing some part of his life.

George tried to listen to what was Dream saying, and that worked. I mean, the hall wasn't that full, and Dream was a loud person. "It's that I didn't sleep well today. It's fine. I'll just buy myself some tea after school," Dream answered to something either of the boys asked.

"Why after school? Can't you buy something now? It's not like you're poor," Sapnap chuckled, obviously entertained by Dream's zombie-like state.

Dream sighed, thinking for a while to sort his thought out and to process what Sapnap said. "I don't have a single cent to my name right now. All is staying in my wallet on my bed."

"D-" Karl almost said, but he looked around first and saw George. However, he didn't do anything. Karl only returned to his previous saying. "Clay, you can't force yourself to go through classes like that. You'll fail."

Dream mumbled something that George couldn't hear. He looked at Fundy, who was drinking from some bottle now. "Fundy, can I go buy something in the automat? It'll be just a second, I promise. I won't talk to anyone," George tried to convince Fundy to let him. Fundy looked George up and down and slightly nodded when he decided he trusted George.

George quickly ran off to the other hall where the machine stood. He tried to remember what Dream might like or at least give some energy to his body. He remembered how he asked yesterday for green tea, so he bought that. It came in a plastic cup, something you'd see in fast-food businesses. Now his goal was to find Dream. He surely couldn't be far away.

George saw the three boys walking on the end of the other hall. He speed-walked to them, and when he was behind Dream, he stood on his tiptoes, only to tap his shoulder. Dream turned around to meet with the smaller boy.

"George?" he asked curiously. George nervously handed him the cup of green tea. Dream took it in his own hand and raised his eyebrows in question. "For me?" George only nodded, turned around, and soon was out of sight.

"Hey, earth to Dream?" Sapnap teased and moved a hand in front of Dream's face, who was still confused about George's action.

"Do you know why did he do it?" he asked, slightly suspicious. What if George poisoned the cup by Fundy's suggestion? He took the cup closer to his nose to check if there was anything off. No, only green tea. "He even got the green tea."

"He might've heard you talking before. He was sitting on the stairs with Fundy," Karl shrugged his shoulders, explaining what he saw. 

Sapnap rolled his eyes and grabbed Dream by his forearm, clearly trying to get to class sooner. "Stop acting like George has access to poison. He bought you a drink, so you can stop complaining about being thirsty now."

"I wasn't complaining," he protested but hesitantly took a sip. When he didn't pass out unconscious, he took another one.

"Oh yeah, sure," Sapnap snickered and cough to mimic Dream's voice, "oh no, I'm so thirsty. I'm so poor I can't buy a single drink. Oh no, I wish a cute British brunet would come to save me by buying me a drink."  
  
Karl laughed, but it wasn't so funny to Dream. "Haha, very funny. I'm not that dramatic," he said, applying proper focus on the word 'that'.

"No, you are," Karl backed Sapnap up. Dream decided on ignoring them. The green tea tasted much better when it was from George. But maybe it was just because it was free from his point of view.

"He remembered what flavor of tea I chose yesterday... Do you think he can stand me?" Dream asked hesitantly. Sapnap raised his eyebrows in a 'are you serious right now?' way.

"No. Hell no. George may be confused right now, but wait until Fundy reminds him of his opinion on you, and tada, George will hate you again," Sapnap smiled sweetly, obviously making fun of Dream's hopes.

Dream frowned and opened the door to his class. "You're so mean sometimes," he complained.

"Your fault for having your hopes up," Sapnap chuckled and sat behind Dream with Karl. Sapnap put his arm around Karl's shoulders, holding him close.

"Can you two stop being so affectionate for a minute or two?" Dream asked, annoyed with his two friends. There wouldn't be a moment where Sapnap wasn't paying attention to Karl. And, of course, Karl didn't mind.

Sapnap smirked knowingly and pecked Karl's cheek to annoy Dream even more, which worked. "Ew," Dream responded. Karl giggled both from Sapnap's action to Dream's reaction.

"Don't worry, Dream! Maybe in few years, you'll get lucky, and George will maybe hug you if he decides that you suffered enough," Karl joined in with the teasing.

Dream frowned and leaned more into his chair. "You two are so annoying," he sighed. The two only laughed at that.

"Oh please, you love us," Sapnap smirked.


	13. feels

The thing was - Clay felt wrong, but in a right way. You know the feeling when everything tells you not to, but something takes you by the hand and takes you to it? It takes you there and shows you that that is what is right. It shows you how it's correct, how that is what you should do.

But everything else says no. Everything else screams for you not to do it. Yet there is that one thing that sounds so inviting and so right. Do you know that?

That is how George felt. Clay felt right but in such a wrong way. He couldn't help but think of all the things that could go wrong with Clay, yet something invites him in. It stretches its hand to George, waiting for him to take it with a smile. And when George does, it feels wrong. It feels wrong but safe.

For example, when George took the hand and allowed himself to talk. Clay smiled and encouraged him to talk more. Clay wanted George to be safe, wanted him to feel invited. But George was reminded that it was wrong. Oh, it was so wrong.

Yet he didn't stop himself twice to buy him that tea. And for what? He didn't even know Clay. Clay was a stranger he talked with few times. A stranger he knew nothing but dark and wrong from Fundy. Clay was no good. Clay would hurt him. At least that is what Fundy said, and Fundy can't be wrong, right?

But then again, there was this slight hope that George would take the hand and talk with him. There were proofs that Clay might be the right thing to do. After all, Niki wouldn't talk with someone so bad. Niki wouldn't invite someone so manipulative into her shop to help her.

Clay had George right around his finger. George felt attached to him even if he didn't know the boy. Maybe it was curiosity. Was Clay actually how Fundy told him? He couldn't know unless he talked to him.

Clay was like the person who everyone told you to stay away from, or it would hurt. "George, he will hurt you if you let him," was playing inside of George's mind whenever he saw the blond walk around the halls. But he couldn't help it.

Every time Clay spoke to him, it was careful. His voice was soft and could play inside his head for hours without catching in anything. Smooth and warm. George knew how easily he could get lost in him. If only he let himself lose a little, he would fall hard.

He couldn't let that happen. Clay was dangerous, wasn't he? By Fundy's words, Clay was like one of the seven sins. A sin that spoke with carefulness and honey around his lips. The wickedness that made you hungry with temptation. And all George did was to lean into it. He was leaning right into it, leaning into the sweet words Clay spoke to him in his mind.

George was curious. Every time that Clay caught him staring, he only wanted more. But he was always interrupted by Fundy warning him: "George, you don't want to get hurt, do you? Do you want to disappoint me?"

So he never did. He never got the courage to try and speak with Clay. He followed Fundy's steps. It was like there were two paths. One that was leading into the temptation - it was inviting, safe, but it was a risk. And the second one was a path that Fundy made - a pathway from Fundy's steps that was boring, but it made sure George wouldn't get hurt.

George felt like in a cage with Fundy. Always asking for permission for something he should decide. And there were Karl and Sapnap. The two boys did not consider Fundy's business. When they could, all they did was to remind George that Fundy was no good. They made sure George had a choice, but he always chose the one that would make Fundy proud.

But it never made him proud. When George did talk to them, Fundy was mad. He was disappointed and upset. And when he didn't speak with them, Fundy only ignored him with a small nod. It made George feel small. He was locked up in a small cage with no freedom.

And then there was another catch. It was George's soulmate. His soulmate felt open, like free and safe space. He felt like he could tell everything to him, yet he didn't know if his soulmate would appreciate that. 

Dream was this atmosphere that made George want to be there. Fundy did not know about Dream, and George did not want him to. God knows what Fundy would do.

And while there was Dream, there was Clay. Both felt similar to George. Free, open, safe - all of these. They felt inviting, yet Clay felt wrong. George didn't know if Dream would want his soulmate walking around, slowly growing attached to Clay. Wouldn't it feel like cheating? For George, it did.

He had to talk to Dream. He couldn't stand being alone with his thoughts like that. He grabbed the pen and took the paper.

_'Hello, I know it's late, so I apologize for interrupting.'_

George knew his soulmate might be sleeping. The moon was in the sky, and stars were visible. It would make sense for Dream to be dreaming.

_'Hi! Is everything alright? Why aren't you sleeping?'_

Yet there he was, and he was asking questions that made George talk.

_'I can't sleep. I think I'm overthinking something.'_

He felt like he was confessing a sin. Was he actually about to talk to Dream about his catch on Clay? It seems like it.

_'Mind telling me what about? Sometimes it helps to talk about it.'_

_'He feels wrong.'_

_'Who does?'_

George sighed before preparing himself to write the name. Dream didn't know who George was, right? He can safely write about anyone. There is no chance that Dream knew any of these.

_'Clay. Clay feels wrong.'_

There was a pause before ink that he didn't spill appeared.

_'What about him feels wrong?'_

_'Don't get me wrong - he feels right, too. Clay feels like everything. But it's so wrong.'_

_'That didn't really specify anything, just being honest.'_

_'Clay feels inviting and safe. But inviting in that sense like a sin invites you into temptation. He would invite you into the darkest pits of hell, and he'd do it in a way that feels right.'_

George wrote everything so smoothly on the paper. He didn't know how Dream understood what he said, and based on how Dream didn't respond for a while - Dream was probably processing it.

_'If he sounds inviting, why don't you accept the invite?'_

_'I can't. It's wrong. Fundy would be disappointed, and what if Clay is really like one of those sins? Looking nice and pretty, but turning out to be bad and dark.'_

_'You think Clay is pretty?'_

_'Dream, we shouldn't talk about how attractive Clay is.'_

George almost laughed, and he would if he wasn't under so much pressure.

_'Right, sorry. If Clay feels inviting, how does Fundy feel?'_

_'He feels uncomfortable. He makes me feel like I'm in a cage with no escape. But on the positive side, he keeps me safe. He even allowed me to talk to Karl, so I'm thankful for that.'_

He could almost feel Dream's sigh before putting the pen back on the paper.

_'I think you should stop talking with Fundy. At least less than now. Don't trap yourself like that. Other ways can keep you safe.'_

George felt what he perceived with Clay. Dream was now proposing the idea, inviting him to be free with other ways of safety.

_'You feel like Clay.'_

The paper fell into nothingness. Dream stopped writing, and George patiently waited.

_'Do I feel wrong?'_

_'No. You feel right.'_

_'Then why do I feel like Clay? Do I feel inviting?'_

_'Yes. You feel inviting and safe. I'll take what you said into consideration, but I think we both should sleep.'_

George placed his pen onto the bed, watching Dream write simple _'good night'_ that allowed George to fall asleep without worries. Even if he felt like he only passed his thought onto Dream, he felt freer than before.


	14. would you reconsider?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream being the simp he is.

"What does he mean I feel wrong? I should feel right!" and there was Dream - complaining about how George feels about him. They were all in outside art class. Sapnap and Karl didn't listen to Dream. Those two were helping each other to draw. The lesson was outside, and all of them were sitting on the grass. And when I say all, I mean all.

George and Fundy were sitting close, and that made Dream watch over them. George had all of his attention. Dream fixated George into his memory as if he'd never see him again. Something about that boy was mesmerizing. Perhaps Dream was attached to the boy because they were soulmates, but maybe Dream was just hopelessly admiring the other's beauty.

"Did you stare enough already? You didn't make a single line on the paper," Sapnap brought him back to reality. Dream looked at his blank, white paper. Karl and Sapnap already have outlined their surroundings on their worksheets.

"Did you notice how pretty he is?" Dream sighed, taking his gaze back at George. Sapnap looked at Karl, who just shrugged shoulders.

"What if he is straight anyway? You look like him like he is the only beautiful thing in the world," Sapnap said quite carefully. Dream got brought back to reality, yet only shook his head no and continued his admiring.

"Dude, you can't just refuse him being straight," the raven-haired boy laughed. Dream wasn't one to be obsessed with someone. He could get attached, but not before he knew it could work out. He needed a bond with a person - and he had a bond with George. Not that George knew about the entire thing like Dream, but he still somewhat knew about it.

"We're soulmates. It has to be-"

"You could be platonic soulmates," Karl interrupted Dream before he even got to an end. It made Dream think. If Karl was correct, and they were only platonic soulmates, Dream was screwed.

Based on his expression, the two boys could understand what Dream thought. "You're not catching feelings that fast, are you? You know him for a week and talked to him for what? Ten minutes? It's not worth it. Dream, no," Karl immediately got to talking.

Dream didn't know if he should be skeptical or in denial. He couldn't catch feelings for someone that he didn't know that much, right? He wasn't like that. "Look, we're soulmates-"

"You can't hide everything with the label soulmates! George doesn't like you. He doesn't want to talk to you. George doesn't even want to meet his own soulmate. He is not ready," Karl was very defensive over George. Karl's angry tone of voice made Dream annoyed.

"You're acting like it's your soulmate. Guess what, Karl. George is my-"

"Dude shut the fuck up. Did you completely forgot that if George focused on us for few seconds, he would hear everything?" Sapnap interrupted both of them. And it was true. After all, George was sitting only a few meters away. Sapnap most likely saved Dream at the time.

"I'm sorry," Dream apologized for it half-honestly.

"We both know you're not. You know, Karl is the only one allowed to talk to George without George being all nervous and guilty. Of course, Karl will know something we won't," Sapnap said, and Karl tensed up. It was short but clear and definitely made Dream sure that Karl knew.

"Do you know something?" he asked sternly.

Karl sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Look, I can't tell you. If I told you the first thing, George's trust in me would break. And if I told you the second thing, you'd figure the first thing out. Sorry, man, but I won't tell you," Karl explained, making Dream groan in frustration. 

All three of them fell into silence. Dream's gaze went from the floor on George again. He sighed. His soulmate was beautiful, but George felt like anything but his. "Do you think it would be smart to catch feelings now?"

"No, definitely not," Sapnap smirked, knowing Dream got absolutely screwed. Karl nodded, but a bit more sympathetically.

"It isn't smart, but it's possible. It's not like you're a patient person," Karl stated.

Dream decided it was unhealthy to watch a person for that long, so he turned all of his attention to Karl. "Please, convince him to talk to me. Or get him in situations that include me," his tone of voice was begging, which made Sapnap chuckle.

Karl thought for a while before nodding. "I think I have my house completely free this Saturday? I could invite him over, some stuff like new television could get him over to my house. With you two, of course."

Dream felt like he could drop on his knees and thank him forever, but since he already was sitting on his knees, more especially on the grass, it already happened. "Thank you, thank you. Oh, Karl, if you wouldn't be dating Sapnap and I didn't have possible feelings for certain someone, I'd platonically kiss you."

With that sentence, Sapnap swayed his arm around Karl and brought him closer. "Don't you fucking dare."

Before Dream got to talk, the teacher stood up. The lesson was over, and all Dream had was a blank paper. The teacher had to collect all the works, but when Dream tried to slip the work in with the others, he failed.

"Excuse me, what is this?" the teacher asked. Dream sighed, knowing he wasn't getting out without an F.

"That is a blank piece of paper," he was honest, but somehow that was disrespectful. The teacher immediately drew an F over the whole paper, and Dream nodded.

When he got over to his friends, they were a mix of disappointed that Dream didn't even try and amused by the fact that Dream once again didn't even try.

"Do you think if George gets an A, he could teach me art at my house?" Dream thought out loud.

Karl raised his eyebrows, already walking into the building of the school. At this moment, it seemed as if Sapnap and Dream were just followers. "We all know how most of 'teachings at home' end up."

"Well, I wouldn't complain-"

"No," Karl interrupted him before he even got to finish it.

Dream smiled, knowing even if it would be tense sometimes between him and Karl - they would still be friends. Maybe with disagreements, but still friends. George walked past them, alone. Karl got the message when Dream opened his mouth to talk but shut it down when he remembered George would ignore him.

"George!" Karl yelled at George, causing the boy to flinch in his walk. George turned around to see Karl closer to him. Dream and Sapnap stayed behind. "Do you want to sit with us?"

George immediately shook his head. "I'm sorry, Karl. But you understand," his voice got to whisper again, "Clay would be there, and I can't-"

"Fundy is not here. He won't know," Karl smiled reassuringly. George looked stressed like never before. But he nodded and smiled softly to let Karl know it was his form of consent to it. Karl took George's hand and took him to Dream and Sapnap.

"Hi, George," Sapnap smiled in an attempt to make the boy more comfortable. It would probably work if Dream wouldn't there. Dream waved at the boy, assuming George would hate to hear his voice at the time.

And that was true. George did not want Dream talking to him. He smiled at Sapnap, and Karl tugged at George's arm, leading him into the dining room.

"George, how would you feel about staying at my house overnight?" he started carefully. George raised his eyebrows in confusion at Karl.

"Why would I do that?" George responded. Meanwhile, the other two followed Karl and George. When they all sat down at the table with their food, Karl went to talking again.

"I want to spend more time with you. I feel like I don't know you enough, and that's a huge shame for me," Karl tried to do it the friendly way. Simply only trying to make it seem like he wants to befriend George.

"Exactly. Plus, Karl would be blessed to have you at his house. Again," Sapnap added to it, trying to help his boyfriend. Karl nodded, supporting Sapnap's words.

"That just seems like you want to befriend me, and I don't see a point in that?" George said doubtingly. Karl sighed. He forgot that George doubted anything that Fundy didn't approve.

"Well, I see a point in that? You wouldn't have to talk to Fundy that much. Instead, you could talk to us-"

"Did you forgot I'm only allowed to talk to you? I'm not going to speak with Sapnap or Clay. Fundy didn't approve them," George said now quite harshly. When he realized that Karl could interpret his tone as mean, he quickly apologized.

"George, it's okay. You don't have to talk to them," Karl shook his head no. 

Sapnap rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like we're some peasants, and you're the king. Here's some news for you, we're right here, and we hear you." Karl quickly apologized to Sapnap before turning back to George.

And Dream? He was watching the whole situation, silently praying to all of the above to let George accept. His soulmate, the person he was supposed to spend eternity with, did not allow himself to talk to Dream. And more to it? George thought Clay was a horrible person and that Dream was a perfect human being. It frustrated Dream so much.

"Well? Please, you only have to stay overnight at my house on Saturday, and everyone will be happy!" Karl smiled, jumping a bit in his chair to make it seem more exciting. George looked him up and down judgementally. All Karl did was trying to get George to reconsider, and the brunet seemed suspicious as never.

"I'll think about it?" he said hesitantly, putting the fork in his mouth. After all, they were still in the dining room. They were supposed to eat, yet the only people who ate at that table were George and Sapnap. Karl was too busy convincing George it was a good idea, and Dream was too distracted by George.

"Great idea!" Karl smiled, nodding to support his words better. George sighed at Karl being so excited just from him reconsidering the idea.

He would have to stay overnight at a house with three people. Two of the boys George wasn't allowed to talk to, and one of them he was close to strongly disliking. Of course, everything would go just right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not interacting with the comments, but I have no idea how social interactions work. However, I am very grateful for everything :]


	15. spare some advice

George nervously walked around the school. He had a free period and gratefully used it to try and find Niki. He saw her as a smart woman with a kind and understanding personality. It made sense for him to seek her advice.

He thought for a while where she might be. Dining room? No, it wasn't lunchtime. Then it hit him. She liked to spend time in the library! He immediately rushed to the library. He knew that Fundy had only this class that George didn't. He was free for one class period.

When he opened the door of the library, he saw Niki standing on a chair. She was hanging another flag. In George's vision, it was gray with some light blue. Maybe the demi boy flag?

When she noticed him looking at the flags, she smiled and jumped from the chair. "George! Would you mind helping me with the flags? We have like four new ones that we want to hang," Niki explained and pointed at the box.

"But inside of that box is only one left?" he pointed out.

"That's true, one of my friends is helping me carry the boxes, and we left one in the delivery car. I just finished hanging the demi girl flag. The one in the box is the gay one," she took the flag outside of the box and opened it. It was quite big, so it covered Niki from George's sight.

He giggled at that and took the flag in his hands. It sure looked interesting in his eyes. Was that his flag?

Niki noticed the way George looked at the flag and connected the dots. "That's yours?" she smiled. George just nodded with a sigh. "Well, why don't you hang it?"

George nodded again, and Niki took him to one of the corners. "Here! There's an empty wall," she explained why she lead him there. Yet George had one question.

"What am I supposed to hang it with?" he asked. Niki flinched, realizing she didn't have any more sticky gums that they used for the flags.

"I'm sure Clay will be here with the box soon, so no worries. It has the sticky gums inside the box," Niki talked to smoothly and carelessly. It made George envy her for that ability.

"Wait, Clay is helping you as well?" yes, that was the only thing George seemed to understand from that. Niki nodded with a proud smile.

"Of course! He was excited about the bi flag that is supposed to come in with the lesbian flag," George only nodded, placing the gay flag on the table. He pushed it further away from him, suddenly feeling disconnected from it.

"Yeah, um, I need to ask you something before Clay comes in and-"

"Hi, Niki! Oh- Hi, George," he heard Dream's voice right behind him. "What is it about me?"

Niki answered truthfully, which made George bury himself underground and never come back. "Nothing much, just George avoiding you," she smiled. "Do you have the flags?"

George moved to the side so that he could see both Niki and Dream. "I do. Did you already hang the other two?" Dream asked, putting the box on the table next to the gay flag. He stared at it for a second before turning to George. "Is this yours?" George knew what Dream meant. He knew it damn well.

Dream was surprised when George spoke up. He expected another wave of silence. "No! I mean, no. I'm straight. Completely hetero," George answered quickly and in a rush. It almost seemed like George wanted that thought out of Dream's mind immediately.

Niki sighed at that but kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to out George when he didn't want to. Kind of basic human decency, but it was still a nice gesture. "Well, what did you want to ask me, George?"

George looked at Dream and then to Niki. 'Act like Clay isn't there and ignore him,' he thought before speaking out loud. "Well, Karl invited me to his house overnight with Sapnap and Clay, and I wanted your advice if I should go or not."

Niki looked confused before nodding. "Yeah, I think you should go? Why wouldn't you? They are all amazing people-"

"I can't, though. Fundy did not allow me to talk to Sapnap or Clay," George protested, interrupting Niki. Dream watched this go down while hanging the gay flag behind George.

"Wait, allow you? George, he has no right to-"

"It's okay! I promise. Fundy's only keeping me safe. Now, should I go or not? Final answer," George interrupted again.

Niki sighed in disappointment. "George, don't interrupt me. I think you should go. And do you remember when you said you'd repay me anytime?" she hinted at the end of her sentence. George nodded, slightly suspicious of what Niki had in mind. "I want to use it. You'll go there and talk to Clay and Sapnap freely. Just like you would without Fundy."

"What if Fundy finds out-"

"He won't. I won't tell him, and I strongly doubt Sapnap or Clay would snitch. They are good people, George," she sighed. She didn't like seeing people in disagreements, especially when it came to her friends.

Dream listened to the conversation but only now decided to get into it. "Please, George. It won't hurt. It'll be fun!" he tried to convince him, standing in front of him after securing the flag was safe.

George sighed and nodded. "Fine. But only because I had to repay Niki."

Niki smiled and nodded happily. "Great! Well, can you help me hang the rest of the flags?"

George shook his head. "I'm sorry, Niki. I have to go before Fundy's lesson ends. Bye!" he said his goodbyes and left the library.

He leaned on the wall and took one deep breath. He had to talk to both of the boys without having to keep his mouth shut the entire time? It was something George didn't want to get used to as he spoke with them - especially when he knew what effect Dream had on him.


	16. talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically, George and Dream talking because I remembered that this is dnf.

It was Saturday, and Karl honestly didn't expect George to show up. After all, he seemed pretty hesitant. Sapnap and Dream were there, just casually hanging out like they always did. Dream stole some mattresses he found around the house and dragged them to the living room, where the television was.

"So, is this all?" Sapnap asked, pointing at the mattresses.

"I don't know about you, but I would appreciate some pillows. Laying on a bare mattress is not going to be comfortable, Snapchat. Or is that not your name?" Dream got into teasing Sapnap, leaning over the sofa.

Sapnap was about to answer when he heard a knock. "Wait, is he actually-?"

"I'll get it," Karl interrupted him before Sapnap could make the mistake of scaring the boy away. He opened the door to see George standing there, bag hanging over one shoulder. He never saw a person look so disappointed in themselves.

"George!" Karl smiled, and because he was used to it, he hugged the boy. Karl was used to being touchy with all his friends, so he didn't think twice about it. George awkwardly patted his back a few times before stepping back.

"Okay, please, no physical contact that I do not consent to," he giggled a bit to relieve the uncomfortable feeling of the other's touch. Karl got what he meant and nodded.

"I'm so sorry-" George interrupted him with a simple 'it's okay' "well, do you want to go inside?"

The brunet nodded, stepping inside. George watched as Karl closed the door. He regretted that choice so much, but after all, he had to repay Niki.

"George!" he heard Sapnap shout before he heard footsteps. Sapnap appeared before him, not giving George the room to talk. "Hi! I know you're not going to answer because of that Fundy stuff, but it's-"

"Hello to you, too, Sapnap," George laughed a bit from Sapnap's surprised expression. Sapnap immediately turned to where he came from and started shouting again.

"Clay! He talked to me!"

"I know! He said he would, so why are you surprised?" Dream shouted back at Sapnap. Karl sighed before looking at George to check if he was okay. He was. To be exact, he was silently laughing with his mouth covered.

"George, would you mind helping me cook? I know technically you're supposed to relax as a guest, but these two would not help me at all," Karl asked, giving George the space to disagree.

George smiled and nodded. "Can I set my bag somewhere first? I don't want it to hang on me all the time-"

"I'll take it," he heard Dream's voice next to him, already taking the bag. It scared him because he didn't expect Dream so close. Dream looked at George to confirm he can take the bag, and when George nodded, Dream got into some room George didn't remember.

"Let's go then," Karl said, jumping a bit and taking George by his hand. The brit sighed, getting used to being dragged around by the hand. They got to the kitchen, and Karl started to with taking some dough from the fridge. George watched with confusion - he was not familiar with cooking at all.

"Wait, how did your parents even let you go?" Karl asked out of a sudden, rolling the dough into a circle.

"I said I was going to a girl's house," George explained. His cheeks grew pink with embarrassment. Karl only laughed at George's reaction.

There was a sound of footsteps, and they soon saw Sapnap in the kitchen, snaking his arms around Karl's waist. "Clay's annoying. Why don't you lay with me?" he said convincingly in a tone above a whisper. George awkwardly looked away.

"I'm trying to make a meal right now, Sapnap," Karl tried to get Sapnap's hands away from himself, but that only made Sapnap pull him away from the kitchen counter.

"Let's just put all the responsibility on Clay and relax. As always," Sapnap reassuringly smiled as he took Karl's hands and walked backward, leading Karl into the living room.

"I don't want to interrupt, but what am I supposed to do with the dough?" George said after Karl, who was way into Sapnap, to react immediately.

"Oh, yeah. The dough. Let Clay take care of it, and all you have to do is make sure he doesn't burn the kitchen down," Karl said and let himself get taken to the living room. George realized the walls weren't thin enough to hear them, so he stood in front of the dough and tried to mimic what Karl was doing earlier.

In concentration, he didn't notice the person standing behind him, looking at what George was doing behind his shoulder. "You're doing it wrong, if you didn't know," Dream finally spoke, succeeding at scaring George.

George turned around. When he saw the tall blond, he stepped aside, letting himself get some air before speaking up. "Do it yourself then."

"That was the plan, but you were standing in the way," Dream chuckled before washing his hands in the sink and drying them. George watched Dream's every move. You could say he was analyzing him but was George good at math? Take his sexuality into consideration and take a wild guess.

There were around three kitchen counters. One was with the dough, and right next to it was a second one. They were making it into a right angle.

George sat down on the second one so he could suitably see what Dream was doing. Now that Dream was rolling the dough, George didn't notice that Dream was talking.

"We usually baked bread or cookies with my mother," George heard him talk, and once he paid attention to his voice, he couldn't get enough.  
  
"So, you know how to cook?" it was the first thing that popped into George's mouth, but his only intention was to keep Dream talking.

Dream laughed a bit at George's naive attempt to keep his intention hidden. "Yeah, I do. It ends up well only once in a while, though. I can maybe explain what I'm doing right now? You can listen," Dream proposed and looked at George to see what he thought. George was sitting with his hands on his lap, looking curiously at Dream. When he heard Dream's question, he quickly nodded.

"Okay," Dream chuckled before turning back to the dough. He grabbed some things from the fridge and started talking. However, George couldn't focus on it. Maybe it's the way Dream moved so smoothly, almost like he was not holding back onto anything. Like he didn't have any barriers that were screaming at him that what he did was wrong. George envied that of Dream.

"Alright, now that it's in the oven, why don't you talk for a bit? I've talked enough," Dream said and stood in front of George. They were almost the same height now, except for that George was sitting on a counter.

"I don't have anything to talk about," George shook his head, making Dream sigh.

"Oh, come on. Talk about random things. I don't know. Just talk," Dream smiled, making George regret his entire decision to visit. Dream's smile was too comforting to his liking.

"Well, um. White roses change colour if you put them in different coloured water?" he tried his best. Dream started wheezing at George's try.

"Aren't you colorblind?" Dream reminded him.

George rolled his eyes. "Just because I'm colourblind doesn't mean I see in black and white."

"Guys! It's a full moon!" they heard Karl's excited screams, and George was the first to look through the window at the moon. His excitement soon switched to disappointment when he realized he couldn't see it from the safety of Karl's house.

George thought for a while before turning to Dream. "Let's go outside," he said, not leaving Dream much space to disagree. Dream raised his eyebrows in amusement. 

"George, I need to check on the meal," Dream protested. George was having none of it. If he wanted to see the moon, he would see the moon. The brunet grabbed Dream's hand and pugged at it to pull him closer to the door that leads into the backyard.

"But I want to see the moon," George stayed on his ground, still holding Dream's hand. When Dream sighed and stepped closer to George to signal that he was going with him, George immediately dropped his hand and opened the door.

The cold air of the night hit him in the face, but it wasn't that bad. If it meant seeing the full moon and stars, George was all for it. Dream had to smile from the fact that George seemed to forget how he didn't want to talk to Dream at all. Sure, it was all for Niki, but Dream wished to pretend that maybe someday George would see him as a friend without it being because of a deal with Niki.

He watched as George sat down on the grass, looking up at the sky. "That can't be comfortable for your neck," Dream chuckled.

"You're correct. It's not. It hurts a lot, actually," George giggled and sat straight, looking at Dream instead of the sky. "Why don't you sit?"

"I figured out you'd be uncomfortable with me sitting next to you," Dream replied in a questioning tone. George sighed and tapped the grass next to him.

"C'mon, just sit down. Use the privilege of talking to me for today while you have the chance," George smiled when Dream sat next to him, following his order. Now that Dream was sitting, George laid down.

"What if the grass was wet?" 

"Then I'd be wet. Look, there is the constellation Sagittarius," George pointed at something in the sky and fully turning the conversation around.

Dream tried to see what was George pointing at, but their perspectives were very different. It made Dream lay next to him, putting his head close to George's so that he could see it. The brunet noticed it, but did he mention it? No.

"That's a constellation? I think It's just a bunch of white dots, to be honest-"

"Shut up. You have to connect the dots," George explained briefly and took Dream's hand in his again, moving it in the air. He was drawing to the nothingness. If anyone would look at them, they'd only see two boys looking at the sky. Dream smiled at the newfound knowledge that George liked stars.

"How do you which ones to connect?" Dream whispered, not wanting to be too loud next to the boy's ear.

"It just slides through. It kinda happens on its own," George shrugged his shoulders. He was whispering to match Dream. He finally looked at Dream for the first time. Shocking news: Dream was very close. "You're... close."

"Oh, sorry-"

"It's okay. Anyway, what is your star sign?" George swiped Dream's apology away. He did not want to hear Dream's apology - he wanted to talk about stars.

Dream thought for a while. "Leo? Isn't that a zodiac sign?"

George laughed a bit at Dream's confusion. He decided not to answer and instead looked at the sky again. "I don't know if it's visible tonight, but- it is! Look," he pointed at a bunch of stars, once again drawing his hand in the air. He was connecting the stars, but from Dream's perspective, George was waving his hand around.

"I don't see it well," he mentioned, hiding his intentions. Did he see it? No. Did he use it as an excuse for George to hold his hand? Yes. Was that a bit desperate? Yeah.

George sighed, taking Dream's hand in his. "Look, there! Do you see that one shining star? You go from there to the bottom left. There is another one. You keep connecting," as George was speaking, he was making sure Dream could see it from his perspective well, "and once you've finished, it looks like a lion!"

Dream smiled at George's excitement. "Hey, George?" George only looked at him, motioning for him to continue. "If you're colorblind, how do you see colors? What color is the grass?" 

George sighed, shaking his head. "I see colours with my eyes, just like you. And the grass is green. Everyone who's out of kindergarten knows that."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Should've said it better then," George chuckled, once again staring at the sky. Comfortable silence got between them. Dream didn't want this to end. He only wanted George to see him as a nice person. Maybe then he would talk to Dream. After all, Dream wouldn't get any further if George will keep refusing to talk to him. Was that perhaps too much to ask? As if George was reading his mind, he spoke again. "Clay, you realize once this day ends, I hope I'll never speak to you again?"

Dream sighed, shaking his head. "Do I seem like a bad person? Be honest."

George looked Dream up and down before making eye contact for a second or two. "You don't seem too bad."

"Then won't you just talk to me?" his tone was demanding. Maybe you could say desperate.

George shook his head no once again. "I can't. Fundy warned me, and I won't take his warning into vain."

"What is the warning? George, I promise whatever I had going on with Fundy is far long lost. People change," Dream sighed, looking at George before turning to the sky and closing his eyes. He realized George wasn't looking forward to replying.

"It's not about your past," George answered after a while. His tone most certainly ended their conversation. Dream only nodded to show he won't continue in it.

Dream looked at George, who had closed eyes and was slowly breathing. "You look tired."

George did not bother opening his eyes but still responded. "Wow, what a compliment," he smiled, tone dripping with sarcasm. Dream noticed how George's breathing got calmer and calmer.

"George, are you falling asleep? Wait, what am I supposed to do if you fall asleep?" he started panicking, sitting up. He knew if he tried to carry George, he would probably despise Dream for the rest of his life.

George rubbed his eyes with his hand. He was exhausted. "Call Sapnap? Sapnap's strong..., mattress, you know."

Dream did not know but still got up and walked into the living room, where Sapnap was relaxing on the of the mattresses with Karl. He remembered he left the meal completely uncontrolled.

"Finally. We got the meal out because it was burning, idiot," Sapnap spoke when he saw Dream in the door.

"Sapnap, George fell asleep," he said as if it made complete sense for Sapnap. It did not, and the raven-haired boy raised his eyebrows.

"And? Then carry him here or something. Karl is sleeping. I'm not going to move," Sapnap replied to whatever Dream was implying and moved his gaze to the television again.

"Sap, he asked for you to carry him," Dream sighed in defeat. It did catch Sapnap's attention.

Sapnap smirked, carefully putting Karl on the mattress so his boyfriend could sleep comfortably. "Wow, I'm stealing your man, Dream," he teased before going into the backyard. George was full-on sleeping now. What Dream noticed was that once George fell asleep, nothing could wake him up.

Sapnap took George into his arms, making Dream frown. "Don't be annoyed. It's not my fault he doesn't want you as much as me," Sapnap teased again, not giving Dream a break.

"Oh, would you shut up?"

"No, I don't think I will," Sapnap smirked. He carefully placed George onto some random mattress that wasn't too close to Karl. "What happened, though? I saw you two out of the window. You two were close."

Dream nodded, smiling at the memory. "We talked about stars. George likes them a lot. But then he started saying how he hopes we will never talk again."

Sapnap started laughing at Dream's miserable mood. "And I thought you wouldn't get any more miserable. It keeps getting worse and worse for you!"

"Shut up, you'll wake them up," Dream warned him before his friend got too loud. Sapnap rolled his eyes and laid down next to Karl again.

Before Dream went to sleep, he had to drink some water. He tried to analyze what George said to him. So it was not from Dream's past? Then what could Fundy possibly tell George? There isn't much dirt that was useable on Dream - after all, all he tried to do was help.

He sighed. Anytime he thought he was closer to George, the boy pulled another card, making Dream's work useless all over again. George was frustrating Dream so much. But Dream was not going to give up.


	17. panicking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has very, very small mentions of homophobia. It will have a warning at the beginning, and the end, so you can skip if you want to do so.

George's eyes slowly opened. He took a while to recognize his surroundings. A mattress on the floor was a clear sign that he was still at Karl's house and that Dream didn't leave him sleeping on the grass.

He sat up to help him gain more consciousness. He noticed Sapnap and Karl were still sleeping in a cuddling position. George softly smiled and got up. There were few empty cups, so he started cleaning them. He took all the plates and cups and put them into the sink.

"George? Why don't you lay down? It's 6 am, dude," he heard a tired voice behind him. He turned around to see Sapnap with a confused expression. He almost replied, but then he remembered. It was not Saturday. George was not allowed to talk to them any further.

With a sigh, he slid his fingers over his lips. It was a simple explanation that he can't talk. "No talking? Dude, Fundy won't know," Sapnap fed up with the Fundy stuff. 

George shook his head no with a quilty feeling that got expressed on his face. "Alright, well, you can still nod and shake your head, correct?" George nodded.

Sapnap groaned and leaned against the counter. He rubbed his eyes to wake him up more. "Can't you go sleep? Clay usually wakes up at like 10 am on weekends. You can chill until then," Sapnap explained. He definitely wanted to sleep, but he would feel guilty for leaving George alone.

George shook his head and pointed at the dishes. "Dude, no one is going to stone you to death if you don't do the dishes," the other boy protested to George's new goal - to do the dishes. George shook his head again and turned his attention to the sink.

"Okay, well. We can still talk with you nodding your head. So, did you sleep well?" George only nodded, continuing to do the dishes.

"That's good. Well, I'm going to jump in a bit. Did you enjoy talking to D- Clay yesterday?" his tone of voice was hiding something behind it that George couldn't recognize. He thought about if it was safe to reply or not. In the end, George still nodded. He didn't have reason to lie, and the fact that he enjoyed Dream's presence did not change the fact he won't talk to him again.

"Oh? You did?" Sapnap smirked a bit, leaving George blushing. "You know, he would appreciate you talking to him. Just mentioning."

George ignored Sapnap and turned off the water. "Finished the dishes?" George nodded. "Great. Now we can go to sleep because it is still 6 am."

George looked at the living room. Karl replaced Sapnap's body with a pillow, and Dream was peacefully laying with one hand above his head. George took some more of his time to watch Dream. "Dude, you're staring," Sapnap laughed.

George flinched at the sudden interruption and shook his when he processed Sapnap's words. "Hey, it's okay. Everyone knows Clay is hot," the boy joked. However, George shook his head again. "You don't think he's hot?"

George sighed, getting tired of shaking his head. Plus, he was getting on some level of uncomfortable. "George, you're blushing. You either admit it, or you start talking," Sapnap said.

"Sap, you're loud," they heard a tired voice from the living room. Sapnap softened at the sound of Karl's voice. 

George used Sapnap's distraction for his use and left to get his bag. Dream took it to that one room, and luckily, he remembered where it was. 

With a bag on his shoulders and a feeling of rush, he walked into the living room. "Karl? I'll be going now. Thank you for letting me stay," he said in a whisper. He did not wish to wake Dream up - his entire intention was to leave before Dream woke up.

Karl sat up with a confused expression. "Do you need to go somewhere? It's 6 am. You can rest?" he asked, trying to get an answer from the boy who was now playing with the hem of his shirt.

"It's nothing. It's that I want to leave before Clay wakes up," he explained, noticing how it could've sounded rude. "I mean, it's nothing personal. I just don't want to risk it." He ended his short speech quickly.

Karl shook his head in protest. "No, no. George, sit down. Clay is not going to wake up soon. Now explain what would you be risking by talking to Clay?" he asked curiously.

George thought for a while. He didn't know how to answer to hide the truth, and saying it out loud would be more embarrassing than anything he could imagine. "It's nothing," yes, that was the only thing that made sense for him to say in response at the time.

Karl frowned at that and stood up to match George. "You can talk to me, George. I'm your friend, aren't I?" George looked Karl up and down, thinking about his reply. George did not look forward to what he was about to do.

He shrugged his shoulders at the same time while shaking his head. Karl only nodded, looking behind him to Sapnap for support. When Sapnap softly smiled, Karl turned back to George. 

Since Karl was a touchy person, he had to put his hands on George's shoulders. "It's okay. I know it can be hard forming friendships, but I would like it if you'd be able to call me a friend. I only want to help you, George."

George did not maintain eye contact. Instead, he looked at the clock. "Karl, I appreciate it, but I can't afford that. Fundy allowed talking, not being friends," Karl opened his mouth to disagree right after he heard it but stopped himself. George was way into Fundy's game of 'ask me first.'

"Well, could you ask him?" George's eyes lit up when he got the thought that Karl might understand. He smiled, nodding his head.

"I'll ask him when I see him. Thank you!" his smile only got happier when Karl gave him a nod of acknowledgment. "Um, I truly need to go right now, though. Thank you again."

As George got out of the house, Karl turned to Sapnap. His boyfriend opened his arms to invite Karl in. Karl accepted and quietly rested his head on Sapnap's chest. "I swear to God he's so dumb. With this pace, Dream will never get his soulmate as more than a classmate."

"I know, I know. But give George some time. They're soulmates. It has to work someday," Sapnap replied, trying to reassure the boy with his arms wrapping around him. Even if they both got fed up with Dream's soulmate crap, they still wanted their friend to be happy.

"Can you two shut up? I'm trying to sleep over there," an annoyed voice interrupted them.

Sapnap rolled his eyes, taking the part of replying to Dream. "Wow, this is how you show your gratitude to us by trying to get your literal soulmate closer to you? You're welcome, I guess." You could hear the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

The response he got was an exhausted hum and Dream falling asleep again, not processing a single word he heard.

\---

**\- very minor warning of homophobia -**

George was walking around his room back and forth. The sky was dark again, reminding him of his short time with Clay. He stopped himself right there. He had a soulmate. That's why George couldn't afford to fall for another man - mainly when Fundy was against Dream. To top it up, his parents would probably never admit to having a son ever again if they found out George was falling for a man.

Their son promised he would fix himself from the unfixable. George didn't have to fix himself as there was nothing wrong with him. But if there was nothing wrong, why did Clay feel wrong?

**\- all good again -**

From walking around his room, he changed to sitting on his chair at his desk. His thoughts were running around his head, rushing to make as much panic as possible. Yet, one consideration caught his attention. What if Clay didn't feel wrong, but George solely couldn't recognize the feeling? Perhaps that was the reason George put the label 'wrong' at Clay and called it a day?

But if Clay didn't feel wrong, what would that make George feel about Dream? George was confused again. Clay and Dream were opposites of good and wrong, but why did they feel so similar to George?

Fundy warned him. He told him not to talk to Clay, that he would play with George's feelings. Fundy warned him, and George didn't listen. And that's why George was now deep in his thought, not able to form a single concept other than Clay or Dream. Those two made his head hurt - and still, he was unaware those two were one.

"Maybe if I didn't listen to Niki, maybe if I only listened to Fundy," he kept repeating in a whisper. His desk was pretty much a mirror to his mind. It was messy, full of papers either from school or from when he was writing down his thoughts.

"...He would break your heart without a doubt," Fundy's voice reminded him in his head. George didn't want that. He couldn't afford to get closer to another boy just for his parents to send him to another school. George couldn't afford to disappointing Fundy. He couldn't afford to get hurt.

His breathing got quicker with panicking. It was wrong, but Dream felt right. He felt calming and safe. 'Just how Clay felt that night,' George thought without control. He quickly stopped himself from thinking about it again. He opened his bag to see the book. It was a simple history book. No one would try to go through that if they wanted something from George.

He took the piece of paper out of the book and placed it on his messy desk. With a pen, he wrote.

_'Hi, Dream. How was your day?'_

George knew he shouldn't use his soulmate as a distraction, but Dream seemed to love talking. Soon words appeared in response.

_'Hi! My day was quite good, but yesterday was better :) what about your day?'_

And there he was again, trying to get George to talk. George sighed. There wasn't a moment where Dream didn't try to turn the conversation on George.

_'I could say the same. Yesterday was good, but it only left me confused. Fundy was right.'_

Stop right now. That was what George thought. He should not talk to Dream about personal things again. George knew nothing about Dream. He knew that he wanted George to call him Dream, that Dream was a boy, and that Dream was bisexual. And in return, Dream knew almost everything personal about George except for his name, gender, or sexuality.

_'Fundy was right about what?'_

George almost didn't notice the sentence before him. His vision was blurry. He knew he should drink something or breathe, but was he doing that? No.

_'I shouldn't have talked to Clay. He's a nice person, and that's the problem.'_

_'If he's a nice person, why wouldn't you talk to him?'_

George thought it was weird for Dream to be so urgent for George to talk to Clay. But after all, Dream could have the intention for George to have more friends.

_'It feels wrong talking to you about it.'_

And that was true. George didn't want to talk to his soulmate about falling for another boy. It felt like cheating, and talking about it to his soulmate would be like bragging to your other half about finding someone else.

_'You can tell me anything. I'm here for you whenever you need.'_

The amount of support George was getting from Dream felt uncomfortable. Perhaps it was his trust issues, but he could trust his soulmate, right?

_'I appreciate that, but I don't think it would be morally right.'_

_'You sound so formal right now.'_

George chuckled at Dream's remark. All his worries were gone while talking to Dream and came from talking to Clay.

_'You'll have to deal with it.'_

_'I'm not complaining. My soulmate is perfect the way they are. By the way, you never actually told me your pronouns?'_

George's heart skipped a beat. If it was from the shock or the fact that Dream called him perfect was unsure.

_'I don't think that's a good idea.'_

_'Please? I told you everything. My name, my pronouns, my sexuality. What could go wrong with you telling me this information, too?'_

George groaned in frustration. Dream was correct - it was only fair if George said it as well. Dream deserved to know after all the time supporting George while he was ranting about Clay.

_'Fine, my pronouns are he/him, and I'm gay. Happy now?'_

He realized he might have seemed mad or annoyed when Dream started apologizing.

_'I'm sorry if you were uncomfortable telling me. I wouldn't force you to, so either way, thank you for telling me.'_

_'I'm sorry if I sounded mad. I'm not. I'm just really stressed and confused about the whole Clay situation.'_

_'You named your frustration over Clay "Clay situation"?'_

_'What else should I name it? "Clay is a very annoying person situation"?'_

George noticed his handwriting went from elegant cursive to a bit messy handwriting. Assumingly from being tired. Without much thinking, he laid on his desk thinking that he could stay awake while watching Dream write on the paper. He was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the kudos, bookmarks, and all interactions. I appreciate it!


	18. approval

Sapnap felt done with Dream. He did not have a single brain cell that would care about Dream's ranting. But he still listened because it was entertaining to see the boy complain about George's words. Karl was currently having a class while Dream and Sapnap had a free period, so Sapnap didn't have much choice other than to listen.

"He lied to me, which is fine because it was stuff people lie about, but why did he say he thinks it's wrong to tell me? I deserve to know. I'm Clay!" Dream continued complaining. They were both sitting on the stairs. It was the best place they could currently sit on.

Sapnap let out a hum to show he can continue, which Dream did. "Maybe if he would listen to me and trust me, we could work something out. Maybe get him away from Fundy. God, I can't do anything without Fundy being in the way!"

Sapnap patiently nodded, waiting for the moment when Dream will realize he was rambling. But it seemed Dream got distracted, and all he could do was to talk about George.

Sapnap decided to interrupt Dream. "Or maybe you could give George a break to sort things out?" 

When Dream heard Sapnap's voice, he looked him in the eyes skeptically. "Are you crazy? We give him a break, and he'll completely forget me or us. George is supposed to ask Fundy to let him be Karl's friend. If he lets him, we know that Fundy may be warmer towards us," Dream explained as if he already thought about it. 

Sapnap leaned against the wall, taking the whole single stair, almost laying on it. "Yeah, but if he was panicking about Clay or you, that meant he thought about you. Which means George cares at least a little bit. A person who wouldn't care wouldn't think about it." Sapnap would pay George million dollars if he had them just for him to do something to shut Dream up.

"He cares," of course, that was the only thing Dream took from it.

Sapnap rolled his eyes. "He may care, but not for you."

Dream frowned, turning his head in Sapnap's direction. "Ouch, that hurt," he said sarcastically.

"Dude, let it be. Try talking to George daily, or tell Fundy to stop playing with George like he is a videogame," he waved his hands in the air to add a more dramatic effect.

Dream only turned back to the hall. "I mean, Fundy doesn't seem to be against Karl. And you're Karl's boyfriend. So on the scale of 'Fundy may not kill those people' you two would be highest."

Sapnap chuckled, but a ringing bell interrupted him. "Yeah, George can talk to anyone but you. Must suck," he smirked, knowing how much it frustrated Dream. However, when Dream ignored him and kept looking at the floor, he knew this was not a time to joke around.

He sat next to Dream, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, what's up? Surely a boy couldn't mess you up that much," he ended with a teasing tone. Sure, he could be a bit serious with Karl, but Dream was not Karl.

"You know how I used to have nightmares about my soulmate hating me? This situation feels like I'm living in one of those nightmares," Dream explained, adding a bitter smile to make it less solemn.

Sapnap sighed, remembering how Dream used to call him in the middle of the night to describe a situation similar to heartbreak. "Yeah, I do. But this is reality, Dream. And George doesn't seem to be the type of person to rip the paper in front of you."

Dream nodded, not answering. Sapnap knew it meant he wanted to change the topic, so he did. "Uh, the bell rang like four minutes ago, and we're still sitting on our asses. Let's go look for Karl."

Dream nodded, and that allowed them to get up. "Do you have an idea where his class might be?"

"I think it's in the yellow hall," their principal had a habit of making each hall a different color, so they just called them by their colors. Dream nodded, and once they got to the school hall, they saw George and Karl, but in a confusing position.

Of course, it wasn't that confusing, but it was George hugging Karl - it was confusing.

"Oh, are we interrupting?" Sapnap spoke up first. George immediately let go of Karl and stepped like a meter away from him. George shook his head before his expression changed to realization. His eyes lit up with excitement.

"Can I tell him?" Karl asked George, who nodded. "Well, Fundy allowed George to be my friend and also allowed him to have minor talks with Sapnap if I'm around."

Sapnap smiled, but his smile soon turned to smirk. "Clay, you heard that? You're officially the only one that George won't talk to at all. You're out of the gang," Sapnap started laughing in mockery of Dream.

Dream rolled his eyes. "But at least George has permission to talk with Karl and Sapnap, right?" Karl nodded, smiling.

"Yes! And I can call George my friend. Something you two can't," Karl jumped a bit in excitement.

"Technically speaking, I can talk to him, so soon Fundy will allow me to be his friend," Sapnap spoke after Karl. Karl raised his eyebrows, signaling for Sapnap to reconsider his words.

"You're allowed to talk to him only because you're my boyfriend. And it took a lot of convincing, so shut up and be grateful," Karl rested his arms crossed on his chest. George looked at the two boys with a small smile on his face.

"This Fundy stuff is terrible. George seems like a toy owned by Fundy, and it's taking turns between us. George should be able to talk to all of us willingly," Dream interrupted their conversation, only for him to speak up about his hatred for the way George lived right now.

George's smile fell in disappointment. He wanted to protest but remembered two things: he didn't have anything to protest with because Dream said exactly how he felt, and second, he was not allowed to talk.

George looked to Karl to see if he would say something. "It's true, but if it makes George feel safe-"

"He can learn how to feel safe with us, though," Sapnap was the one to speak up this time.

"No. Fundy knows what is right for me. He was right already. Karl was wrong once. I'm not risking it," his tone was for once harsh even towards Sapnap.

Karl looked at George with a confused expression. "When was I wrong?" he asked, waiting for an answer. George only shook his head no. "So now you don't want to talk to me either?"

"I don't want to talk if it only creates conflict," his tone was demanding. George didn't want anyone to fight over his choices.

"Look, if George doesn't want to talk, it's okay. But he shouldn't limit his choices to what Fundy approves," Sapnap rolled his eyes, annoyed with the situation. Dream nodded to support Sapnap's statement.

"George?" they all heard a voice, but only George welcomed it in.

"Fundy! Hi," he smiled brightly and immediately went to stand closer to Fundy. Fundy smiled to let George know he approved of his action.

"Fundy, you should let him talk to us as much as he wants," Dream started talking first. After all, he had the most history with Fundy, so he dared to speak.

Fundy turned to Dream, his expression soon changing to harsh and unwelcoming. "You don't get to tell me what to do. George doesn't even want to talk to you. Why would I approve it?"

"You're keeping him in like some puppet!" Sapnap spoke up quite loudly. It made George flinch, stepping further from him.

"If George would be uncomfortable, he would tell me. Now excuse me, he doesn't seem too happy with you three," Fundy looked as if he could stab anyone in the group. While grabbing George's forearm, he started walking. George followed, soon disappearing from the boys' sight.

"Were they making you uncomfortable?" Fundy asked. His voice had the slightest crumbs of care, but George still took it gratefully.

"Not uncomfortable, more like annoyed," he answered, trying to make it as short as possible not to make Fundy mad. The orange-haired boy nodded, tightening his grip on George's arm. It hurt a bit, but George knew better than to mention it.

"Fundy? Am I allowed one question?" he asked carefully. Fundy looked at him for a while before turning back to their path. George already knew the pathway well. His father had connections to the principal, so it was simple to convince the principal to add something to the school. And that was what Fundy called his place.

"Yeah, one question is fine, I guess," he shrugged his shoulders, but the approval made George's day.

"What about my soulmate?" he asked nervously. If Fundy disapproved of his soulmate, he would feel guilty every time talking to Dream.

Fundy furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What about them? You have the paper or something?" George nodded in response, trying to keep his words. "Show me the paper tomorrow. Until then, no talking."

"But-"

"George, I'm keeping you safe. I know how people are. They will hurt you, George. With me, you are safe," he smiled reassuringly. Everything was screaming at George to disagree, to run away. But he only smiled back, agreeing to Fundy's decision.

"We're here. Now, we can talk all you want," Fundy smiled again, loosening his grip on George's forearm. George knew that 'talk all you want' meant nodding or disagreeing to Fundy's questions about what he did with all kinds of people. Fundy asked even after people that George didn't even know existed. But it was keeping him safe from people, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments and interactions on the previous chapter! I appreciate it.


	19. he lied

George entered the empty classroom. Fundy was already standing there, leaning against a chair.

"George, here you are. Why don't you show me the paper?" he reached his arm out to George, who hesitantly gave him the book, which was hiding the paper inside of it. "A history book?"

"It's inside," George gave it all his strength not to whisper. He did trust Fundy, but he didn't trust him not to rip the paper. Fundy nodded, opening the book and scrolling through the pages. Once a yellow piece of paper fell, he grinned in success.

"Please, don't destroy it," George was fully aware his voice was close to begging, but he didn't care. He couldn't lose Dream. He was now the only support that he trusted.

Fundy raised his eyebrows in question to George's sentence. He knew this look, so George looked down at the floor.

"Seems like a normal paper," Fundy said after a while of studying it. "If I write on it?" he asked, waiting for George to answer.

"He can only see the words if I write it," George answered without thinking. 

"He? So your soulmate is a boy?" Fundy asked for confirmation, which he got by a nod. "Cool, cool. Do you know his name?"

George thought for a while. He didn't want to lie to Fundy, but if it made his chances of keeping his soulmate to himself, it was worth the risk. "No. Only his pronouns. Nothing else."

Fundy looked George up and down before accepting his response. "That's quite suspicious. Don't you think? Usually, he would want you to know about him. It seems sketchy," he said while placing his hands on either side of the paper. One wrong move could happen, and the yellow paper would split in two.

"No! Please, Fundy, don't rip it. Please, I promise it's fine. I didn't have enough time to talk to him, please, don't rip it," George knew he was speaking fast, and his speech didn't make much sense, but he was panicking. If Fundy did rip the paper, it would leave him and Dream without any emotions.

Fundy raised his eyebrows. "George, he's keeping information from you. What will happen in the future if he doesn't trust you now?" before George could answer, Fundy continued. "How long did you have the paper for?"

George nervously swallowed, keeping his eyes fixated on the paper. "I got it yesterday. That's why I didn't talk with him much. I told you right after I got it. I wouldn't keep secrets from you, Fundy" George tried to speak in a soft and convincing tone. If Fundy trusted George, it would be easier for George to convince him.

Fundy smiled, more convinced of George's answer. "So you got the principle, correct? I am the one who makes decisions for you, is that right?" George nodded even if he didn't want to do so. All in him wanted to scream at Fundy that he is his own person with his own thought process, but that would make Fundy mad. And all George cared about right now was to keep the paper safe - even if it meant to sell his soul to the Devil.

"Great, I'm glad we're on the same page. But you have to tell me every day what your soulmate wrote to you, and you will show me the paper at this hour, also every day. Got it?" he stretched his arm out to George for him to grab the paper. When George had the piece of paper in his hands, relief washed over him. He nodded, already thinking of a way to get out of it.

"Good. Well, I have a class. Do what you want but remember. What do I always tell you?"

"No talking to Clay unless I beg to get hurt," George replied with a sigh. It was absurd. Fundy warned him because of something that happened between him and Clay, yet he refused to tell George what it was. If he knew what had gone wrong between them, he could've primitively avoided it.

"That's right," Fundy smiled one last time before he left the classroom.

All of his previous actions fell on George. He lied to Fundy. George actually lied to Fundy. He didn't know if he wanted to crumble on the ground from stress or jump high up from happiness.

George had to talk to someone, and Niki seemed like the best option. Yeah, Niki got him into the mess of 'Is Clay right or wrong?' and sent him to deal with his gay panic, but she still seemed like the best option.

He left the room, walking his way to the library. What if Fundy finds out he lied? He would ruin his friendship with Fundy. He started walking slower while being deep into his thoughts again.

What if ruining his friendship with Fundy was what he wanted? But without Fundy, he would feel like a knight in the middle of a war without any armor. Every choice George wanted to make had a good and bad side, making it incredibly difficult to chose.

He opened the door of the library, looking around to find Niki. She wasn't there, but a few other people were. However, he didn't know any of them, so he sat down, placing his history book on the table in front of him. George only had to wait for Niki, not a big deal.

Soon Niki appeared, surprised when she saw George sitting at the table. "George? What are you doing here?" she asked, sitting in front of him.

George needed a moment to breathe before saying it out loud. "I lied to Fundy," he said quickly, looking at the table. That answer wasn't enough for Niki, though.

"Lied to Fundy? About what?" she asked to get more context of the situation. It seemed important to George, so she didn't want to get it wrong.

"About my soulmate. I know Dream's name is Dream, but I still said I only know his pronouns. Then I lied about the time when I got the paper. Gosh, I am a liar, aren't I?" George didn't seem necessarily upset, more like confused. Niki sighed, realizing George was once again panicking because of Fundy.

"If you lied, it surely had a good reason," Niki tried to make the best out of it. George only shook his head.

"He tried to rip the paper, Niki. I could've lost Dream. I could've lost all my emotions. Fundy is scary!" George sighed, letting his hand grab his hair in stress.

Niki knew damn well that if she told Dream that Fundy tried to destroy the paper, he would probably end anything Fundy intended to do. Dream currently didn't have anything against Fundy, except the fact that he was controlling over George. Well, it seems like that might change.

"That's terrible, George. That is not something a friend could do," she shook her head. If something was wrong for George, it was Fundy.

George's eyes widened as if Niki said something forbidden. With a quick shake of his head, he got to talking. "No, no. Fundy tried to keep me safe. I lied to Fundy about Dream not letting me know more than his pronouns, so he got protective or something and tried to rip it. He had a reason. Fundy's my friend," George was rambling at this point. He quickly spoke without double-checking what he was saying. 

Niki couldn't help but give George a sad smile. "George, that is not protective. That is straight-up controlling. A friend wouldn't try to rip you off all your emotions, letting you live an empty life." 

Everyone knew once the paper got split in two, the people who had a connection through it lost all their emotions. It was honestly a nightmare for many, so it was fifty-fifty of hope to get the paper or hope to never get it near themselves.

"But he's my friend," George sighed, tired of arguing.

Niki shook her head. "We are your friends. We're trying to help you."

"No! The only one I can call a friend is Karl. Fundy approved him," Niki was getting more and more mad at Fundy every second George spoke about him.

"Fundy doesn't need to approve anything!" Niki raised her voice. George wouldn't expect it, but angry Niki was quite intimidating.

George looked down. After all, he didn't want to anger Niki - the only other person he could talk to freely except for Fundy and Karl. "Niki, I'm sorry. But he keeps me safe."

"George, you need to learn how to be safe some other way. Or learn how to take risks. Life is boring if you stay in a cage while Fundy has the key," she explained, lowering her voice to match George's tone.

George looked away from Niki. He grabbed his book, standing up. "Thank you, Niki, but I'll be leaving. I hope you have a nice day," he said only because of his manners and left the library.

Niki got once again left in the library with work to do. It at least gave her time to think about what might help George. He was way too deep, unfortunately for him. Maybe if Fundy sorted his issues with Dream? It had to the job. Fundy was trying to keep George from something that happened to him in the past. But what was it?

If only Fundy would talk, and Clay would acknowledge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for everything! :) (I'm sorry if you're a fan of Ranboo, but I don't want to give up on my smiley faces-)


	20. an idea

Niki walked through the school. It was unusual for her to use her free period to anything other than the library, but here she was - searching for Dream.

She never knew finding a blond with a green hoodie would be so difficult. I mean, how do you even miss someone with a green hoodie? Fortunately for her, she heard Dream's voice once again complaining.

Dream was leaning against a wall with Sapnap in front of him. "Dream!" she tried to catch his attention, which didn't work. Niki sighed and got closer to him, tapping his shoulder.

Dream looked at Niki with a worried expression. "Niki? Is everything okay? I thought you'd be at the library," everyone knew that once Niki was at the library, they legally can't disturb her - everyone except for George.

"Yes, everything is okay, but I need to talk to you," she smiled to support her statement.

Dream nodded and looked at Sapnap. "Should he stay, or is it personal?" Niki shook her head in response.

"It's not personal, more like personal for you," she admitted. Now Dream was curious what she might mean. 

"Personal about what exactly?" Dream asked. Sapnap was watching the conversation now with slight interest that Dream was not talking about George.

"I want to talk about Fundy," Dream nodded to Niki's statement.

"Yeah, Sapnap can stay. I would say I'm good with Fundy, aren't I?" he questioned, making Sapnap chuckle.

"Fundy hates you," the raven-haired boy jumped in. Dream shook his head, acting like Sapnap said some nonsense.

"Nah, we're good with Fundy, I believe," he shrugged his shoulders. Niki stood there awkwardly and waited for the two to stop talking.

"Excuse me? Can I ask you the question now or...?" she started talking. Dream quickly nodded and turned his full attention to Niki. "I was wondering what happened between you and Fundy because I believe that is what causes Fundy to keep George away from you."

Dream watched Niki with a thoughtful expression. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I have never done anything bad to Fundy? Nothing that I would consider bad at least," he shrugged his shoulder, confident in his answer.

"Anything that Fundy might have considered bad or hurtful?" Niki reminded him that his point of view wasn't the only one. Dream's eyes lit up with a realization.

"Oh, that must be it! Yeah, when Fundy told-"

"Guys! Where the honk were you? I tried searching everywhere," Dream got interrupted by Karl, who freshly ran into them. It was a cliché, but it seemed like Karl was sincerely searching for them.

"We're here. Why are were you running?" Sapnap chuckled and tried to support Karl's weight by holding his waist because he was sure Karl's legs were now hurting. Karl smiled to show he appreciated it.

"Class starts in like three minutes, but you guys were nowhere," Karl explained in an annoyed tone.

Niki sighed, getting on with the fact that she won't hear about what Dream realized today.

"I guess I'll get going," she spoke and took a step back from the boys.

Dream smiled and waved at her. "Alright, if you'll see me again, I'll tell you the rest. Bye, Niki!" Once the halls were empty, Niki got to the library again.

So Dream knew but didn't get the time to tell her. This whole situation must've been annoying everyone. Niki was there for nearly a few hours and was already sick of it.

Niki was on good terms with Fundy, so she didn't understand why Fundy would be so controlling? 

She entered the library to see George standing there near the table, not daring to sit down. "George? Do you need something?" she smiled as she walked up to him.

George was once again in an uncomfortable position, radiating awkward energy around him. "I wanted to say sorry for being rude yesterday. It was not nice of me," George apologized, stepping back and forth on the floor.

Niki's eyes widened in confusion. "Oh, that's okay. You were stressed, isn't that right? It's all okay. Don't worry, George."

George smiled in relief. "Can I also tell you what I told Fundy today? I mean, I promise I won't raise my voice at you again, but I need to tell someone," he asked. Niki was confused all over again. Was George trying to find some pathway of escape from Fundy's control? Because it sure seemed so. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel the need to share this all with Niki.

"Of course, let's sit down first," she smiled and pointed at the table. George nodded, and once they were both sitting, Niki motioned for him to start talking.

"Well, you see, I have to tell Fundy about everything my soulmate tells me. Of course, I told Dream that he can't write to me now that Fundy's checking the paper regularly. I guess I lied again," George shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He kept on lying to Fundy, and now there was no way back. Fundy believed George - he  _ trusted _ George.

Niki nodded understandingly. She knew that if she told George her view on Fundy, he would get defensive. It got difficult to speak to George about Fundy without telling the truth - that he should stop being friends with him. "What did you lie to him about?"

"Just the normal stuff. I said some boring stuff, but then Fundy once again said that I don't deserve a boring soulmate. He's frustrating me so much. He threatened to rip the paper," it all spilled from George smoothly. She mentally noted that George talked when he was stressed.

"Again? George, you shouldn't bring the paper close to him," she sighed in disappointment. George only nodded to her statement. That was one thing he could agree on - to keep the paper safe. Niki's mind proposed an idea, so she said it out loud. "George, how about I keep an eye on it, and you can say you lost it? Just let me have it while you're in school, and Fundy will leave it be."

George looked as if he sincerely considered it. And he did. But his mind was once again running with thoughts about Niki. The girl seemed kind and helpful, but then he came to a realization - the library had lots of papers. It would be easy to get lost. "Niki, I'm not sure. How am I going to be positive you won't lose it?"

"I can keep it in my bag on my back at all times! You can put it in a folder, and I'll keep it protected! No way it wouldn't work," she smiled, nodding her head to show it was a good idea to accept.

George slowly nodded, disappointed in himself that he was agreeing. "But if you lose it, you'll help me find it."

"Of course," Niki smiled. "If that's everything, don't you have a class in a few minutes?"

George shook his head. "No, no. It isn't everything. I guess I'm kinda embarrassed to ask you this, but uh..., does your flower shop pay the employees?"

Niki stared at George for a while before laughing. "Of course we pay the employees," she continued laughing while George's cheeks became pink. "Why do you ask?"

"Do you remember when you told me there are apartments near the school that are kind of cheap? I want to rent one, but I need a job for that. You know, money and stuff," he looked down in embarrassment.

Niki only smiled, nodding her head. "If you could come to the shop at like 5 pm would that be okay? We can make something out."

George looked up in surprise. His eyes lit up as he nodded happily. "Yes, that'd be okay. Oh God, thank you, Niki." He overcame all his barriers and hugged Niki. If she was willing to protect the paper time from time and give George a job, the smallest he could do was hug her.

Niki smiled as she hugged George back. George pulled away after a few quick seconds. "Yeah, well, now you have class, don't you?" she smiled in amusement when George flinched, realizing he will be late.

"True, I'll get going. Bye!" George almost ran out of the library, leaving the laughing Niki inside.


	21. manipulation arc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> // includes manipulation (?) from George to Fundy. If you're not comfortable with that, --- means it's no longer there, but it's focusing on Dream :)

On Wednesday, George learned how to take care of the flowers and where everything was. With Niki's help, he got in. On school-days, George had work from 5 pm to 9 pm, which was ideal for him. The job started on Monday, so George had plenty of time to prepare.

However, Niki wanted to talk about more than the shop and George's new workplace. They talked about hiding the paper and how all of that would work.

And that is how George got there - rushing to the library. He knew he was already late, but he couldn't risk the chance that the other boy would go through his bag.

He opened the door and saw Niki patiently waiting there. "George! Here you are," she smiled invitingly, making George feel welcomed. He smiled back and quickly opened his bag. Once the book with the paper was in Niki's hands, a wave of regret flew through him. Was it a good idea?

"Don't worry, George. I promise nothing bad will happen," she softly nodded to let George know it was okay to leave it with her. He nodded, and in a rush, he left the library without saying a word.

He was nervous. His insides felt heavy, and his steps were messy. What if Fundy finds out he lied? What if he finds out George would lie even more to feel free?

He stood before the door, taking a deep breath. 'Whatever happens, do not let Fundy take control,' he thought to himself before opening the door and stepping in.

Fundy looked him up and down. "Well, the paper?"

George shook his head. That was precisely the answer Fundy did not want. "George, what do you mean no?"

"Fundy, I lost the paper. I lost it," he tried to speak as convincing as he could, but his voice was shaky, and his body language showed everything but any hint that what he was saying was the truth.

"Lies. You wouldn't lose it, and if you did, you'd have a much stronger reaction. I give you one last chance. Give it to me, George," he reached his hand to George, who once again shook his head. One specific thought ran through his mind. He remembered he could cry on command.

'Common, George. An embarrassing tear is better than angry Fundy,' he thought before getting into his role. "F-Fundy, I'm sorry," he purposely made his voice shaky. It helped him convince his brain he was upset. Soon, he could feel tears in his eyes.

"George? Tell me the truth," he heard the hesitation in Fundy's voice. George attempted to keep eye contact with Fundy, but to stay in his role of a fake crier, he looked down on the floor again.

"I lost it, Fundy," he fake sobbed, but it seemed as if Fundy bought it. George took a step closer to Fundy, pretending to seek comfort. "I feel so bad. I'll never speak to him again."

Fundy hesitantly hugged George. George could sense how uncomfortable Fundy felt. Of course, he did - George was doing something that was entirely out of Fundy's control. Fundy was not in charge of George at this moment.

"It's okay. You have me, is that right?" and there it was - the simple attempt to use George's vulnerable state, which was all an act.

"Yes, you're all I truly have now that I lost the paper," George knew what to say to make Fundy satisfied with his answer. Fundy pulled back and took a look at George's face before smiling.

"Good. I promise I won't leave you, George. You have me, and I have you," Fundy took a step back, leaving George in his personal space again.

George only nodded. He felt as if he tried to speak, George would probably fall into a laugher.

"You need time. Stay safe, George," Fundy and left the classroom. Once George was sure the door was closed, he started giggling while wiping his fake tears. For once, he was glad he had the ability to fake cry.

He knew what 'stay safe' meant - no talking to unapproved people.

George took a few deep breaths before leaving the empty classroom. He had to make sure the paper was safe.

It only took a few halls, and he was once again standing in front of the library. He opened them to see Niki waiting, but now she had the book tightly on her chest, hugging it to make sure it did not fall.

"Niki! Can you give me the book?" he already reached his hands towards her, eager to have the piece of paper in his hands again. Niki handed him the book, and George automatically stepped back. He was relieved once he found out the yellow piece of paper was still there, completely the same.

"George? Your eyes are red. Are you okay?" Niki asked in a worried tone. George first didn't understand why wouldn't he be but then he remembered.

"Oh, it's nothing. I only fake cried in front of Fundy because he wouldn't believe me. Wait..., did I manipulate Fundy? No, no, I couldn't," he started denying as soon as the thought appeared. He was supposed to be Fundy's friend.

Niki saw that George started panicking, so of course, her first action was to try and calm him down. "George, it's okay. It had to happen for the paper to be safe," she pointed out, and George nodded, but his eyes were absorbed in the quilt.

"Fundy trusts me now more than ever... He thinks that I think he's the only one I have," he whispered, not having enough motivation to speak up.

Niki smiled in pity. Yes, manipulation was wrong in some ways, but sometimes it got needed. "You have Karl and me. And because you have Karl, you also have Sapnap - which includes Clay. You have more people that are there for you than Fundy realizes," she spoke up softly, knowing that George did not like talking about anything unapproved.

The brunet sighed but allowed himself to nod. "Thank you, I guess. But it felt good being out of Fundy's control for a while. Uh, I'll have to go. He's probably expecting me. Bye, Niki," George said his goodbyes to the girl and left again.

When he first left the library today, he was dripping in stress. And now he was a walking pile of guilt. Did he pick the right decision to lie to Fundy like that? It was keeping his soulmate safe. But Fundy was his friend. They had each other, just like Fundy said, wasn't that true?

George was once again confused. Fundy was the good guy in this story, or was it the opposite? He didn't know.

\---

Dream flopped on the bed, letting out a sigh. Patches laid next to him, almost as if she was trying her best to show support.

Dream remembered that Sapnap was supposed to call him after school. Dream knew his friend got fed up with all of the stuff, so Sapnap offered to call once they got home to sort things out.

He acknowledged that he was continuously rambling about George, but how could he not? He desired to have a soulmate from the moment he heard about it. And now that George was so difficult to understand, it felt like one of the challenges Dream loved to surround himself in.

His phone soon started buzzing with vibrations, meaning Sapnap was calling. He slowly reached for the phone, taking his time.

Once he picked up, he could hear Sapnap's voice. "Finally, dude. You sure do take your time," the man on the other line chuckled, making Dream smile.

"It wasn't that long," Dream protested. In response, he got a bitter 'tsk' from Sapnap.

"You're annoying. Just as annoying as your daily novels about George," Sapnap hinted that he wanted to go straight to the point. After all, that was why they were calling - to talk through it.

"I can't help it. You know this soulmate stuff is important to me," Dream sighed. He could almost hear the way Sapnap rolled his eyes.

"By now, there would be no way I wouldn't notice that it was important to you. But don't you think you're a little too obsessed? George has his issues, and they aren't going away anytime soon. As far as I know, George is controlled by Fundy right now," Sapnap gave him a whole speech. Dream wanted to listen to Sapnap, but all he heard was 'leave George be' - which he couldn't.

"Sapnap, I don't want to let him go," Dream whispered, realizing his family is probably far asleep as it was close to being middle of the night.

"You can't let him go if you don't even have him in the first place. Let it flow. It'll solve on its own," Sapnap's advice to Dream was always something in the theme of relaxation and being careless. But no one could be perfect.

"But what if it stays the same this whole time? We graduate, we part ways, and I'll never see him again. It's either now or never, Sap."

The boy on the other line sighed. "Are you even listening to me? Do you even remember what's going on at school except for what George wore that day? Niki is talking to him. He trusts her, and if you noticed - she even tried talking to you about Fundy! If George talks to her, she knows something. I swear to God, you have never been this dumb," Sapnap was talking long, trying to get Dream to understand.

Dream stayed silent for a while. "How long is it since we talked to him? I have no idea what he's doing, only the fact that Fundy checks the paper."

"I mean, you can ask Karl, I guess. I honestly have no idea what's going on in his life, and I doubt he'd tell you if you asked," Sapnap chuckled with an undertone of mockery. Dream sighed, looking over at Patches, who was peacefully sleeping.

"Do you think George likes cats or dogs more?" Dream asked out of nowhere.

"Huh? How am I supposed to know? Do I look like a vet to you?"

Dream stayed silent. It was clear that he was tired. "Tomorrow is Friday. The only day we can talk to him this week," Dream mentioned as if it meant something.

"Yeah, if  _ we _ mean Karl, Niki, and me. Honestly, this is truly like one of your nightmares. Your soulmate refuses to talk to you and keeps himself completely disconnected from you. That must suck," Sapnap spoke to the phone. Dream nodded, even if Sapnap didn't see him.

"Do you think it'll get better?"

"Maybe if you stop beating yourself up for it. Dream, not everything you do can be flawless on the first try. Soulmates aren't there to sit and look pretty for you. They are here to learn and teach. You both have to learn." Sapnap knew Dream wanted everything to be perfect and wouldn't stop until it was.

Dream chuckled. "You sound so wise right now. Wisenap."

"Okay, I'm hanging up. Bye," once Dream heard a beep from his phone, he placed it on his bed.

Sapnap spoke the truth - Dream had to admit that. Soulmates were there to teach each other. But now the question was what was George teaching Dream by staying away from him at all cost?


	22. competition

Karl walked through the school. He has not talked to George in a while, and Dream straight up dragged him for it.

So there he was - searching for George to catch up. He wondered how the boy was. Karl felt a sort of guilt for leaving the boy alone for so long, but maybe George found some replacement? He didn't know, but he will soon.

Then Karl saw the boy. George was buying something in the automat machine in the cafeteria. What was new was that George's eyes weren't two-colored now - he had brown contact covering his blue one.

"George! Hey!" he yelled to catch his attention, making the boy flinch and make eye contact with the source of loudness. When he saw Karl, he let a small smile appear. Karl ran up to him, hugging him shortly.

"Please, no physical touch," George reminded him when Karl let go. Karl once again looked at his eyes, studying the contact lens. If you didn't know George, you wouldn't even notice it.

"What's up with the contact? Didn't we tell you that you don't need to wear it?" Karl sighed, making George feel guilty. George only shrugged his shoulders before taking a short sip from his orange juice.

"I don't know. Fundy told me he didn't like my eyes and that he bought me a gift. It would be rude not to use it," George explained. Karl shook his head but let it slide.

"You know you don't need to listen to Fundy?" Karl asked, waiting for an answer. He expected something in the theme of ' _ but Fundy is good for me! _ ' but he didn't receive that.

Instead, George nodded, taking another sip. "Yeah. I'm working on it. I could be friends with Fundy while being equal to him. Like just a regular friendship, you know," he said with a hint of hesitance. 

Karl's eyes widened in shock. Was George finally coming back to his senses? "So, you won't get controlled by him anymore?" he asked curiously. George looked at him with a confused expression.

"Karl, I'm not being controlled."

"Yeah, sure. If you weren't, you would talk to us," Karl protested, but that only made George roll his eyes.

The brunet threw the empty orange juice into the trash before turning his attention to Karl. "You know that I can choose who to talk to or not? I talk to you, and I talked to Sapnap before. I talked to Clay only because Niki made me, and I do not plan on repeating that," George explained. Karl studied George's expression for any unusual behavior, but it seemed like George told the truth.

"So you're choosing not to talk to him? George, he's not bad-"

"I know, Karl. He's not a bad person. Clay's pretty nice. But I'm not going to risk it. If he hurt Fundy, he might hurt me. Karl, I know you're trying to help your friend or something, but it doesn't work like this," George giggled with the sound of mockery and false confidence. Karl was confused with George's actions.

Karl took a step back from George. "George, why would say it like that? I'm not your enemy here," Karl shook his head. George thought for a while why Karl assumed he saw him as an enemy.

"What do you mean?"

"You sound like you're ridiculing me. George, I just wanted to know how you have been, but now you're mean," Karl sighed, but it suddenly made sense to George. His confused look switched to apologetic.

George did not know how to react now. Apologize, take a step closer to Karl? He didn't know. "Karl, I..., I'm sorry? I didn't mean to be mean. I guess it was pretty stressful recently. I'm sorry."

Karl saw that George's apology was honest, and from the overconfident cover became a tired boy who just wanted to rest safely. He smiled, trying to cover up his pity for the boy. Karl placed his hand on George's shoulder comfortingly. "Why don't you tell me what was happening recently? It could relieve the stress?"

George only shook his head to Karl's request. "I'm already talking to Niki about everything. It doesn't help, but she gave me a job," he explained shortly and briefly.

"Job? Why a job?" Karl asked. He was getting pretty tired of the standing. What wasn't helping was that Karl had a class in about five minutes.

George, oblivious to Karl's uncomfortable stance, started talking. "I'm planning on moving out from my parents. You know, not being surrounded by homophobes might help a bit. I still haven't gotten used to the fact that my soulmate is a boy, which sucks because I want to be comfortable with him," he explained honestly.

"Oh? Wait, that's a good idea," Karl supported George, which made the other boy smile. However, the bell rang, and Karl had to run to his class, leaving George alone in the cafeteria.

As George was about to leave, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Hello, George," he heard Fundy's voice behind him. Did he hear George talking to Karl? He was allowed to speak to him, so why did the thought of Fundy knowing made George uncomfortable?

He turned to the orange-haired boy with a slight smile. "Hi. Do you need something?" George wanted to get over it as soon as possible. Being alone and able to do whatever he wanted without Fundy watching his every move was much preferable than this.

"I've been thinking about the whole reason I'm not letting you talk to Clay, and I came to a realization. You should not talk to people at all," Fundy said. George first laughed but then realized Fundy was solemn. His smile fell.

"Wait, you're serious? Fundy, you can't possibly mean this," George shook his head no. He was all for Fundy checking who he can and can't talk to, but not talking to people at all?

Fundy only nodded to show he did mean it. "You see - at first, I thought it would be enough to keep you from Clay. But I realized it could happen with anyone. It'll be simple, George. You'll do what I do - you won't talk to people, and it will keep you safe," Fundy explained with a convincing smile.

George took a step back, shaking his head no. "Are you crazy? Fundy, I'm not a baby! I can talk to people like a normal social human being, for God's sake. What are you even trying to protect me from?" George was for sure mad. It was over his line of what was okay.

"You won't get your feelings hurt like that, George," the boy placed his hands on George's shoulders. George tried to step back, but Fundy tightened his grip on his shoulders.

"Fundy, let me go," George spoke harshly. He did not feel safe or comfortable at all in that situation. When Fundy did not let go, he raised his voice. "Fundy, I said let me go. It hurts."

Fundy finally let go of his shoulder, making the boy take two steps further from him. "George, it will keep you safe," Fundy said, surprised and confused over George refusing his idea.

"No! Fundy, I am not a child. So what if my feelings get hurt? I'll get therapy or something if they do. It's not like it's unrepairable," George threw his hands in the air to relieve some of the tension. Fundy only shook his head, disappointed that George didn't agree to his idea.

"George, you're going to regret this," Fundy said in a warning tone. George only crossed his arms on his chest with an annoyed expression.

"If I will, I'll give you an applause for being right. But if not, you don't get to tell me what to do ever again," and with that, George stepped back, not wanting to be in Fundy's presence anymore. He quickly left the cafeteria, going into random halls he may have never seen before. He knew Fundy wouldn't search for him there.

Once he sat on the stairs, a wave of fear and guilt hit him. He stood up for Fundy, and not in a much subtle way. But maybe it will help? Maybe Fundy will realize he is in the wrong position?

But something wanted George to make Fundy angrier, to make Fundy feel regret. One specific thought caught his attention - what Fundy has forbidden the most was for George to talk to Clay. If George did precisely that, it would make Fundy angry. So he was going to do that, even if it was a risk for himself.

He silently apologized to his soulmate for what he was about to do because George knew what Clay made him think about when he laid in bed at the end of the day. But it was worth it. It was worth it to his competitive self - and right now, he was competing with Fundy of who each other madder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much, I love the comments a lot :D
> 
> uhhh this took so long bc my energy and motivation both decided to leave


	23. make him mad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It calls Dream 'Clay' a lot because its mostly from George's POV :)

It was Monday. The day of starts and of course - work. Work was something that George was surrounded by right now.

At first, he thought it would be easy. Just walk up to Clay and explain he needed to talk to him for the day, right? No. Every time George saw the blonde, he ran off. It felt very wrong.

Talking to Clay would be going against everything that Fundy said and would feel like cheating on his soulmate. But his soulmate didn't have to know. After all, if George wouldn't tell Dream about planning on talking to Clay, Dream would never know.

George said everything to Dream from the heavy feeling on his chest. He did not want to talk to a guy he was more than attracted to without Dream knowing. George was trying to be honest with his soulmate. Even if he would never admit it to anymore - he liked the way Clay felt. 

What disturbed him from his thoughts was the fact that he had a class in a few minutes. He considered a history class quite simple, but what George was focusing on the most was that Clay was also in that class.

And now he was there, standing in front of the history class door, preparing himself to talk to Clay. Technically, he wasn't even going to talk to him. Standing close to Clay was enough to make Fundy angry, wasn't that right?

George entered the classroom, immediately looking around. And as he expected - Clay was there, peacefully sitting at the table with a phone in his hand.

'Okay, now or never,' he thought before walking to Clay's table that had a free seat next to him. The blond noticed him in a matter of seconds, smiling when he saw the boy standing next to his table.

"Hi. Can I sit here?" George somehow got through his mouth. He felt uneasy, wanting to turn back and sit far away from Clay. To George's unfortunate place, Clay nodded and pulled himself closer to the wall, letting George have a comfortable amount of space. "Thanks."

George sat down, letting Clay have a closer look at him. "So, you've got over the Fundy stuff?" Clay asked him carefully. George was getting sick of everyone treating him like he's a bomb that was about to be blown.

"No," he shortly answered. And that was correct - George was there only to make Fundy mad, make him apologize, and be friends with him again.

George looked at Clay shortly before the class started. The teacher stood there, confident in his history presentation.

Clay did not consider the teacher important at that moment. Of course, he knew George's intention - the boy told him everything through the paper. But he wanted to hear the boy talk. "You know when you told me about the constellation? Do you remember?" he mentioned and noticed how George's attention was on him, even if the boy was writing down notes.

George's nod encouraged him to continue talking. "I tried to search it up. I know you like stars, so I tried to know more about them," Clay noticed how George tried to fight back a smile but failed. "I even practiced drawing the constellation Leo in the sky. So now I don't need your help finding it."

Clay's voice was cheerful, making George smile. George nodded to show he was listening. "What is your star sign? Maybe we could go outside someday and find your constellation."

Clay already knew George would disagree, but it was worth a try. It was worth trying to get George to think about spending time with him. George thought for a while, considering if it was okay to speak. "I'm a Scorpio, but I will not be spending time with you unless necessary," Clay chuckled at George's cold formality.

"So talking to me right now is necessary?" Clay smirked as George got annoyed.

"Shut up, there's a lesson going on," George rolled his eyes, placing his attention on the teacher. The notes on his paper were missing from the moment he started listening to Clay, so he was missing out.

Clay watched George struggle searching for the missing parts of his notes in the teacher's speech.

"He already ended that topic. But I remember this topic perfectly, so if you want, I could teach you?" Clay proposed. George sighed, growing more and more annoyed.

"Clay, stop trying to get me to talk to you. It won't work," hearing the boy being annoyed made Clay smirk.

"You're already talking to me, Georgie," what surprised Clay was that George's cheek grew pink. Either from embarrassment, surprise, or just the fact that he disliked Clay and was getting mad at him - but the last one was unlikely to Clay.

"Shut up. Don't ever call me that again," George whispered, but his voice got slightly louder to back up what he just said. As Clay was about to respond, George interrupted him. "Don't even talk. Because of you, I don't have half of my notes."

Clay chuckled but listened to George's request. He watched the boy, studying his face and how George bit his lip when he focused. Clay adored the boy, even if Clay didn't know him that much. "You don't have brown eyes?" he mentioned, noticing the blue got replaced by brown.

George's gaze went from his paper to Clay, wanting an explanation. "Huh? No? I have heterochromia," he explained and looked at the teacher again.

"Can you have gaychromia?"

"Shut up. I'm straight, and I do not want to talk about this," George protested, making Clay chuckle. If only George knew that Clay already knew his sexuality - which was certainly not straight.

The class ended, and both boys stood up. Clay didn't want to leave George, but if Clay wanted to get to the next lesson at the time, he had to go. When Clay got out of the door with a wave at George, it only took few steps before he felt someone hold his wrist.

He turned around to see George holding his wrist, slightly blushing. "George?" he asked for an explanation, which didn't seem to be out anytime soon.

The brunet looked at Clay before sighing. "I need to stay with you for today. I don't want to risk being alone, and I need to piss off Fundy," he explained. Clay smiled as he remembered those exact words that were on the paper yesterday night. Clay nodded, but he still had to go.

As he started walking, Clay noticed George did not let go of his wrist. He looked at George, who was blushing from embarrassment. "Why are you still holding my wrist?" Clay smirked.

George tilted his head in one direction, making Clay look there, too. Fundy was standing there, watching Clay with a glare that could kill. Clay teasingly smiled as he noticed Fundy was making eye contact with him.

"I'll do something, just wait it out until he doesn't see us," he whispered to George without breaking the eye contact, and when the other boy nodded, he held his hand. And with that, he left Fundy's eyesight.

"Clay, why did-"

"It was to make him mad. I'm trying to help with your plan. A simple thank you would be enough," he smiled. George was blushing more than ever but nodded. They kept on walking, and Clay made sure George he knew he could always let go.

But he didn't, and that left them as two boys, walking in the hall while holding hands to make Fundy mad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> holding hands before marriage, not pog /hj
> 
> also haha what to do when u find out that your friend had and has a crush on for like 5 months now- just asking---
> 
> thank you all for the comments + interactions. I love to see the comments lolol.


	24. denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niki talks to George about the possibility of Clay being his soulmate.

George was currently rambling to Niki while they were cutting off the dead parts of the plants. "Did you know his hand is naturally warm? It's the complete opposite to me. My hands are always cold," George remained rambling, making Niki laugh.

"Completely made for each other," Niki teased. George's cheeks grew red as he realized his rambling sounded a lot like he fancied Clay.

"Surely not," he quickly denied, focusing once again on the flower he was checking.

Niki raised her eyebrows, not buying it. "Think about it. If Fundy didn't tell you not to talk to Clay, you probably would be talking to him daily," Niki said, making George think about it. She was right. George felt pulled to Clay, and the only reason he couldn't talk to him was Fundy and his fear of catching feelings.

"We wouldn't talk daily. Maybe a few minutes for a day, but that's it," George shrugged his shoulders as if it didn't interest him. But it did. Would they be friends if Fundy didn't talk to George first?

Niki sighed, finishing up the details of the flower. "Well, if you end up looking at it this way - you always come back to talk to Clay. Not to mention he seems very desperate to talk to you," Niki laughed, standing up from the flower pots. George wasn't done with his flower yet, so he sat there, working on it.

George shot Niki a glare before sighing. He leaned back into the air, getting tired of all the work. Thankfully, it was almost the end of his working hours. "Clay will never be my friend, Niki."

"Why not? Tell me about it. What can be so bad about Clay?" Niki asked, sitting next to George. 

"It's nothing about Clay. It's more about me, I guess," he said, but Niki knew there was more to it. She shook her head no, motioning for him to continue. "C'mon, that's not all of it, is it?" she smiled at George's blush from the embarrassment. 

George sighed, realizing Niki would not give up until he told her everything. He sighed, silently preparing himself. "I don't think I'm over him. I mean, my last friend. I don't think I was in love with him, but I think I liked him. The thing that scares me is that he didn't make me feel anywhere near to what Clay makes me feel. Here, I told you all my drama. Are you satisfied now?" he asked, playfully annoyed. If there is something he didn't like, it would be talking about his feelings. 

Niki smiled softly, putting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. George took her hand and put it away, not wanting any physical contact at this time. What he wanted was to get up and walk around in stress, but he couldn't. He wasn't in the safe space of his room. 

"I shouldn't like Clay, Niki," he sighed, sounding disappointed in himself. Niki prepared herself to ask him the question. If this would go wrong, she was sure Dream would not appreciate it.

"How long do you know him? A few days?" she took a breath before continuing, "you know soulmates catch feelings for each other way faster?"

That for sure got George out of his trails. He quickly looked at Niki with denying expression. "No, no, no. If Clay is my soulmate, I will rip the paper with no hesitation. I'm not putting myself or him in this," he shook his head, speaking quickly and loudly. What made Niki upset was that there was not a single drop of hesitation. He would rather live an empty life than accepting Clay.

Niki sighed, already scared for Dream's reaction when she'll tell him. "Are you...sure? It could work, you know-"

"No. It would not," George stood on his opinion. With a look at the flower, he stood up. "Well, this was the last flower, and it's getting late. I should probably-"

"George, no. Why wouldn't it work? You don't think Clay is good enough or-?"

"Niki, stop. Clay doesn't deserve me, especially with my homophobic parents. He deserves better. Hell, I don't even know if he's into guys. Just stop talking about this. He is not my soulmate, and if he is, he can say goodbye to emotions," the sparkle of Niki's eyes fell. George's tone was harsh and denying. It made her feel sorry for Dream.

She maintained eye contact before putting all her strength not to whisper. "Are you even listening to yourself? George, I don't know what made you so afraid of attachment, but if you're going to take it out on other people, you can leave," she shook her head in disappointment.

The brunet sighed but nodded. George wanted to relieve the pressure and tension so bad, but he was never good with people. "Niki, I don't want to fight every time we talk," he admitted, to which Niki smiled.

"Me neither, but I'm serious now. You have to get things straight," Niki persisted.

George smirked, knowing what he will say to that. "I can't do anything straight, Niki. I'm gay-"

"Okay, get out. Your work hours are over," Niki interrupted him with laugher, which made George giggle as well. He happily accepted the idea of leaving, so with a short hug, he left the shop.

Niki watched him leave, and once she was sure the boy was away, she took out her phone. Once she dialed the number and Dream picked up, Niki started talking. "Okay, you might want to sit down for this..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed that my motivation and energy increases when I write something like one-shots, so I may or may not start multi-ship one-shots??? maybe???


	25. new method of controlling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fundy gets mad at George (which was expected), so he pulls another card. But more than one person can play the game.

Dream kept on banging his head on the dining table. Both boys who watched Dream felt sort of pity for him but didn't want to disturb him.   
  
"Why, why, why, why-"  
  
"Dream?" Karl said carefully not to startle the boy. Dream stopped banging his head, letting it rest on the table. Sapnap chuckled, patting Dream's head while saying: 'There, there'.  
  
Dream sat up to avoid getting his hair touched. "You're acting like I'm a dog."  
  
"And you're acting like a dog who lost its owner. Stop whining," Sapnap responded, taking a sip from his drink. Karl watched as Dream took a while to watch the table before letting his head fall on it again.   
  
"He would rip it," Dream sighed. He was still processing the information that Niki told him. And she was right - he had to sit down for it.   
  
"Yeah, I mean, did you see him? He doesn't seem like the one to like attachment, especially to someone who apparently hurt Fundy," Sapnap chuckled teasingly, watching the blond lose his cool.   
  
"I didn't do shit to Fundy," Dream groaned in frustration.   
  
Sapnap raised his eyebrows in question. "Oh, really? You looked like you realized something when Niki asked you about it?" Karl only kept on watching those two boys talk, but soon his interest faded. Instead, he looked around the dining room.   
  
And as if on call, George stepped into the dining room with shaking hands, promoting it with a nervous look fixated on his face. Dream and Sapnap were too busy arguing about what happened between Dream and Fundy that they didn't notice.   
  
Karl watched as George talked to one of the dining ladies, and once he got his approval, he smiled and left the dining room again.   
  
"Alright, you can keep on arguing, but I'm on my way to steal Dream's man," Karl stated as he stood up.   
  
"Wait, what? George? Was he there?" Dream's attention immediately passed onto Karl, who ignored him and left the dining room. Dream and Sapnap looked at each other, answering the unspoken question – yes, they're going after Karl.   
  
Once George got into his favorite hall, he sat on the ground, trying to calm down. His beloved hall was the one with calming blue, even if it could be pink. For all he knew, it was calming.   
  
"George? You good?" he heard a voice from the left. Karl sat down next to George but still kept some distance between them to not make him uncomfortable.   
  
George nodded. He felt like if he talked, Fundy would be even madder. "What happened? You're shaking, and you skipped lunch," Karl pointed out the undeniable fact.   
  
George looked at his hands to notice they were indeed shaking. "Nervous. Fundy," he answered quickly, considering his allowed words.   
  
"Fundy's making you nervous? Why?" Karl didn't want to push on George's boundaries or the fact that he was speaking very poorly. George shook his head, thinking about how to answer.   
  
"He's mad."   
  
Karl's body got filled with pity. The brunet was sitting there on the cold floor, shaking because of his 'friend'. "George, I thought you were getting better? What happened?" George shook his head. He didn't have enough words to waste. "Why are you not talking? Are you not allowed again?"  
  
"Limit."  
  
Karl had to think for a while to choose the right answer. "You have a limit on how many sentences can you say?" George shook his head. "Words then?" he nodded.   
  
Karl carefully grabbed the boy's wrists and stood up, taking the boy with him. "You'll be staying with us today, okay? You can't stay with Fundy if he messes you up like this," Karl protested and started walking, dragging the boy with him. George was shaking his head, but that didn't convince Karl. "George, no. You were getting better. I'm not going to let you fall for it again."  
  
George had no other option than to follow Karl. Soon they both saw Dream and Sapnap with a concerned expression.   
  
"Is he okay?" Dream immediately asked once Karl was close enough.   
  
Karl shrugged his shoulders, not even he knew the answer, but George's shaking hands answered for them.   
  
"Dude, are you okay?" Sapnap questioned, trying to keep eye contact, but George was too busy staring at the hall entrance. He still nodded either way.   
  
"Fundy gave him a limit of words," Karl said, making Sapnap immediately annoyed.   
  
"That's fucked up," Dream spoke before Sapnap even got to open his mouth.   
  
George kept staring, but once the orange-haired boy appeared in the hall, George hid behind Karl.   
  
"George? Is everything okay?" Sapnap asked, unaware of Fundy that came up to them.   
  
Fundy ignored everyone except for George. "George, let's go," he reached his hand to the brunet. George quickly considered his options, but he still took Fundy's hand from fear of making him mad.   
  
Fundy smiled until he felt a tight pressure around his wrist. "No. You're not taking him anywhere," Dream objected, and Karl tugged on George's sleeve to silently tell him to let go of Fundy's hand, to which George didn't do anything.   
  
The orange-haired boy looked at Dream with a distant look, almost looking disgusted. "Don't lay your dirty hands on me," he spat out and quickly shook Dream's hand off of him. "George, let's go."   
  
"No. Clay already told you. George is not going anywhere with you," Sapnap rolled his eyes, keeping his hand on George's forearm to keep him in place.   
  
George felt overwhelmed. With Sapnap's hand on his forearm and Fundy tightly holding his hand, he didn't know who to focus on more. What didn't help was that Dream felt like arguing with Fundy.   
  
"What even is your problem? Let George alone, Fundy," Dream sighed, seeming disappointed in his old friend.   
  
Fundy stepped away from Dream, accidentally tugging at George's hand. But since Sapnap was holding his forearm, it only gave George pain.   
  
"Sap, you're hurting him," Karl interrupted, but Sapnap only swayed it away. For him, keeping George somewhat away from Fundy was more important than anything at that moment.   
  
"I'm not letting him go through the same you put me through, Clay!" Fundy spat out, tightening his grip on George's hand. George found himself whispering to Fundy that it hurts, but Fundy didn't pay attention.   
  
Once Fundy's words processed to Dream, his expression changed from anger to surprise. "Fundy, is this what I think it's all about? Fundy, I had no other choice!"  
  
"You could've pretended!"  
  
Sapnap noticed Fundy's distraction and tugged at George's arm, letting him free from Fundy. He knew it would hurt George a bit, but it was still better than permitting Fundy to break George's wrist. George stepped back and let Sapnap keep both his hands on both his forearms in an almost protective way. 

"Hey, let's leave them to sort it out and go," Karl whispered to them while Dream raised his voice as he answered Fundy. Sapnap nodded, leading George away from that hall with Karl following them.   
  
"Will Clay be okay?" George wanted to keep his limit, but he needed to know if the blond will be fine.   
  
"Clay will be okay; Fundy wouldn't hurt him. No need to worry," Karl answered, reading the question from George's eyes.   
  
"Does any of us have classes left?" Sapnap asked, and both of the remaining boys shook their heads. "Good, we can stay outside then."   
  
Once they were all outside, George sat down on a bench, studying his hand. It was red with the handprint of Fundy's hand.   
  
"Does it hurt?" Karl asked, sitting next to George. The brunet nodded but was glad he didn't have to stay with Fundy.   
  
"We should probably go to Karl's. I mean, you didn't have lunch, and I'm sure Karl won't mind if you steal some of his food," Sapnap said. George looked at Karl for confirmation, which he got by a nod.   
  
"Yeah, let's go," Karl stood up from the bench, looking down at George. He waited for George to stand up, but that didn't happen. "George?"  
  
The brunet shook his head no. To support his action, he leaned against the bench to signal that he was not leaving.   
  
"Dude, we have to go," Sapnap sighed.   
  
George violently shook his head, seeming disappointed in Sapnap. "Clay!"   
  
Sapnap rolled his eyes, sitting on the bench, leaving Karl the only one standing. George knew he had only one word left, but that didn't bother him. After he makes sure that Clay is okay, he would have no reason to talk.   
  
George saw when the blond stepped out of the school, hands loosely resting in his hoodie pocket. The brunet stood up, quickly appearing in front of Dream.   
  
"George?" Dream asked with a confused smile.   
  
George thought for a while, wanting to use his last word cleverly. "Okay?" he asked, hoping Dream would understand.   
  
Dream smiled and nodded. "Okay."   
  
Sapnap interrupted both of them by dragging George away by his forearm. "Now that Clay is here - let's go. George must be hungry and stressed," Sapnap said. Both Karl and Dream walked behind them.   
  
Dream shot Karl a glare of 'what the fuck was that?' to which Karl had no answer. Every day, George confused them more and more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to God I love your comments so much- honestly, thank you all for every interaction with this work <3
> 
> Also, if anyone has any suggestions of what I can improve in my writing style or grammar, please, let me know :)


	26. promise us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes homophobic actions. There will be warning before and after :)

"So, allow me to sum this up," Niki said, replaying in her head what George told her. "Yesterday you told me you would rip the paper if you found out that Clay could be your soulmate, and today you spend half of the day with Clay-"

"I spent it with Sapnap and Karl too. Not only Clay," George interrupted her. Currently, he was watering the plants while Niki sat on the chair, talking to the boy.

"Sure, sure," she rolled eyes, "anyway. You fell into Fundy's trap again, is that correct?"

"I didn't fell into his trap. I didn't want him to get mad," George shrugged his shoulders, knowing what he said made no sense. First, he wants to piss off Fundy, but then is scared when Fundy is angry? No logic got found behind his actions.

"That is not the point. The point is that you keep spending time with Clay even though you repeatedly tell me you dislike him," Niki sighed. George only shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know the answer, so maybe Niki would let it go? "George, do you want to spend time with Clay or not... Because otherwise, you're making this much more difficult for both of us."

"Why both of us? I don't care about Clay, and you have no reason to care about how much I talk to Clay," George replied, turning off the water once the flowers had enough.

Niki watched George as he sat down on the chair in front of Niki, letting out an exhausted breath. "But yet you still keep coming back to Clay. Why?"

George scoffed, tired of Niki's questions. "I don't know. I guess he has hot privilege."

That sentence instantly sent Niki into laugher, making George blush once he realized what came out of his mouth. "He has what?" Niki kept on laughing but tried to stop to catch her breath.

"I mean, you can't look me in the eyes and tell me that he is not the most attractive man you've ever seen," George tried to fix the situation but only made it worse.

Niki caught her breath but still giggled a bit. "Okay, so the reason you keep coming back to him is that you think he's hot?"

"I don't think he's hot-"

"You just said it!" Niki laughed again. George was blushing more than ever, so he hid his face in his knees. "Oh, c'mon. It's okay to be attracted to him, I mean, most of the school is."

"That does not help at all, Niki. You could've told me to get my mind together and fix it. I mean, Clay? Why Clay?" George groaned, pushing his face more into his knees.

Niki smiled softly and sat beside the boy. "Maybe he's your type?" George shook his head, not allowing himself to even think about it.

George got his face away from his knees, sitting up straight. "This is too much."

"It'll be okay. But, one last question. Do you _want_ to talk to Clay?" Niki asked, putting a precise focus on _want._

George looked at her in confusion. "Why should I want to talk to him?"

"Answer."

The brunet sighed, looking away from Niki. Suddenly, the blue sky appeared very interesting. "I guess I do."

Niki smiled and jumped a bit in her seat with excitement. "Great! Okay, here is what we do. You'll end your friendship with Fundy," George interrupted her by violently shaking his head, "George, let me end. You have to end it so you can move on. He is not good for you. You'll explain it to him and won't go near him again. Stick to me, Sapnap, Karl, whoever is available. Please."

Niki's demanding tone plus expression sure did a great job at convincing George. "But... wouldn't he be alone then?" he asked, doubtful about it. Niki nodded, now seeming emotionless. George didn't know what to expect as her following reaction. "I don't want to leave him."

She sighed, shaking her head. "Let me phrase this differently. You will end your friendship with Fundy tomorrow. I'm not asking; I'm saying this," her tone changed to ordering very fast. George only wanted to go home at this point, so he nodded, letting Niki take the win.

Niki smiled, standing up. "Well, work hours are over," George nodded to her statement, taking his bag, and with a short goodbye, he left the shop.

** \-- warning: homophobic actions -- **

George opened the door of his home. His mother was immediately alerted, and soon she stood uncomfortably sternly in front of George.

"Where have you been? Work?" George nodded. He knew what will come - a speech about how he shouldn't waste his time with his job and spend his time searching for a girlfriend.

But that didn't happen. Instead, George's mother motioned him to sit at the dinner table. His father was also sitting there with a slight smile that hid his intentions well.

George sat at the table, preparing for any situation that might happen. Soon his mother took a seat and cleared her throat. "George, we want to talk to you," she started and looked over at his father to continue.

"You don't seem to get any better. No girl in sight, so we were wondering. Is there a boy?" his father asked sternly, expecting a 'no.' So that's what George gave him. "Good. Well, anyway. We want you to promise something."

His mother smiled convincingly and overly sweetly. "Please, darling. Promise us you'll never date a boy." George wanted to act shocked, but honestly, it was a matter of time. That didn't mean it didn't upset him.

"Mum-"

"Promise us," she sighed, "you promised you'll fix yourself, George."

George did not dare to even look at the food. Meanwhile, his father ate with calmness. He took his gaze off his father and looked at the poor excuse of a mother. "Mum, I can't."

"George, we're over this. Do you promise you'll never date or lay with a boy?" his father interrupted loudly. George hated when people raised their voices in drastic situations, so he only nodded.

"Now that's my son!" his mother proudly yelled, getting to her food.

George looked at his food, but the nauseous feeling in his stomach didn't allow him. "Pardon me," he did not wait for an excuse and stood up, going to his room.

He walked back and forth while playing with his fingers. When it did calm him down a few weeks ago, it didn't help now. He looked at his bag. Once again, he needed a distraction. Anything that wouldn't remind him of the fact that his parents would never accept it.

** \-- end of warning -- **

He took the piece of paper out, laying it on the ground. He felt too tired to sit, so he laid on the floor as well. With a simple pencil that hasn't got sharpened in a long time, he wrote.

_ 'Dream? Are you sure you are not a girl?' _

After a while, a response came in rushed handwriting.

_ 'I'm 100% sure I'm a boy. Is that a problem?' _

George sighed, laying his head close to the paper. This way, he could still write and see what got written.

_ 'I don't know. Dream, can you please draw on the paper? I'm stressed, and maybe it would calm me down.' _

For a while, he was worried it was too much to ask, but soon Dream answered.

_ 'Sure. What should I draw?' _

_ 'Idc' _

George knew it was short and not formal, but he didn't care at that moment. He focused on how lines and waves of ink appeared on the paper. Watching the doodles appear on their own calmed him down so much that soon Dream helped him fall into his realm of dreams.  
  
  
 **A summary of warning:** George's parents make him promise not to date or lay with a boy, to which he only nods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank. you. all. so. much. i. love. you. all.


End file.
